


Ice Kings

by Iggysassou



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Auguste (Captive Prince) Lives, Damen Has a Crush, Enemies to Lovers, Figure skater Laurent, Hockey player Damen, Laurent Wants to Kick Him, M/M, Nikandros Is Done, The Regent is a Dick
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-05 09:40:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12187539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iggysassou/pseuds/Iggysassou
Summary: Over a year after an incident during a game, Damen comes back on his college hockey team.On his first day, he meets Laurent, a gorgeous and talented figure skater. He nearly falls in love on the spot but on his first attempt to talk to him, he is welcomed with cold glares and biting replies that leave him confused. Nikandros can feel trouble coming but despite his advice to stay away, Damen finds himself irresistibly drawn to this talented man who trains tirelessly.Meanwhile, Laurent wishes Damen was not so kind and attractive. It makes it very difficult to hate him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am very excited to finally be able to start posting this fic! This idea came to me a very long time ago and though I never expected it to expand to such a beast, I am happy with it and I hope you will enjoy it too! 
> 
> First, I want to forever thank my awesome artist, [Just-Themys](just-themys.tumblr.com), for supporting me through everything. 
> 
> And a big thank you to my beta [Lanie](http://laniemitchel.tumblr.com/) who is simply the BEST. Thank you for all your help and precious comments. I really enjoyed working with you!
> 
> I also quickly want to add that I am not a specialist on hockey (nor figure skating) but I tried to research as best as I could and then took some liberties. I do apologise for any mistake and I hope you will enjoy the story despite them :)
> 
> And finally, as you'll have noticed this work is not yet complete because life happened. But there will be a new chapter every day and it should be complete by the end of the week. Sorry about that!

Damen stood outside the locker room, feeling nervous and excited. He took a deep breath, trying to get his nerves under control, then opened the door with a smile that only grew bigger when he was welcomed with loud cheers from his teammates. Being back with the team felt incredibly good. He had trained with the guys regularly and he had gone to their games but it was different from actually being _with_ them. It felt like coming home.

“Guys, _guys_! Don’t kill him already! We need him remember?” Nikandros scowled, making his way through the team to get to Damen. His expression softened when their eyes met and he grinned at him. “Good to have you back, it wasn’t the same without you.”

“Aw, did you miss me?” Damen teased as he clasped his hand and pulled him into a tight, brotherly hug. “It’s good to be back.”

“It’s good to have you back.” They clapped each other on the back then Damen moved to his locker to change.

The team was chatting excitedly about the upcoming hockey season, their last season seemingly long forgotten. Although it warmed his heart, it also made him feel guilty. Between his short banishment and his own fear of getting back on the ice, the team had lost valuable time and support.

A sigh escaped him and he shook his head to clear his mind. There was no point dwelling on the past. All he could do was move forward and bring the team back to where it was before the incident. Lacing his skates carefully, he stood up and followed Nikandros out of the changing room to discuss strategy.

“Honestly, we should go back to the basics.” Nikandros said, looking mutinous. “You’ve seen our last game last season, it was pitiful. Kastor fucked us up. He never cared about our team, he only cared about his own career.”

“He was trying his best,” Damen amended, his tone kinder than he felt. Nikandros gave him a look, obviously ready for another passionate speech about his brother, but they were interrupted when they reached the rink. There was already someone on the ice and music was playing.

“Did Makedon forget to book the rink?” Nikandros asked, raising an eyebrow at Damen.

“Is that a figure skater? She looks hot.” Pallas commented from somewhere behind them.

“Damn, look at that jump!”

“Look at her ass!”

The whole team had stopped behind him and they were looking at him expectantly, though a few guys were craning their necks in the hope of catching more of the person skating. Since their coach had not yet arrived, Damen took it upon himself to go talk to the skater.

“It’s probably a mistake,” Damen said as he gestured for them to wait for him. “I’ll go talk to her, stay here.”

As he got closer to the rink, Damen realised two things. One, the figure skater was most definitely not a woman. Two, he was the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

He stopped once he reached the rink, too mesmerised by the young man’s long golden braid and his pretty figure to remember why he had come there in the first place. The man was skating gracefully on the ice, jumping high and spinning so fast Damen could barely count how many times he had turned. He could not get a proper good look at his face but his golden hair had caught his eyes and he could not look away, even if he wanted to.

“You call that a jump? Again.” A deep voice called out, cracking in the quietness like a whip.

Damen startled and look to his right. He had been so engrossed by the man on the ice, he had not realised there was a much older man watching him from the side with his arms crossed over his chest, a light frown on his face. At least, now he remembered why he was there. The man was probably the skater’s coach so Damen walked up to him, smiling amiably. Their practice was probably running a little late, that wouldn't be surprising or uncommon.

“Hi! Sorry to bother you, I’m with the college hockey team and we booked the rink. Will you be done soon?”

The man turned to him and Damen felt coldness that had nothing to do with the rink come over him. The man had pale blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through him, chilling him to the bone. For one brief second, his eyes widened in what seemed like surprise then the man was frowning in confusion.

“The staff assured me we would have the rink until ten.”

“Ah, yeah, well… there was probably a mix-up! We booked it from nine ‘til eleven.” Damen pulled out his phone, showing the man his text confirming the booking with a polite smile. “See?”

“I see…” He glanced at the young man on the ice then turned back to Damen. “Well, my student is training for the upcoming figure skating season, I can’t ask him to leave the ice now, I’m sure you understand.”

Damen barely stopped himself from sighing. Of all the people, he had to come across a professional figure skater’s coach. There was no way he would give up on the rink when his protégé had to train because of course, ‘ _no one_ trains as hard as figure skaters, Damen’ a sharp, feminine voice reminded him. He had heard it all before and it didn’t bring back good memories to him.

Forcing a pleasant smile back on his lips, he tried to come up with an alternative.

“We could share the rink. I know a few professional skaters so I understand what’s at stake for your student.” He said very seriously. “We’ll keep to one side so that he can train too. We’re training for the University Cup.”

The man studied Damen then he smiled, looking amused all of a sudden. “Why don’t you ask my nephew? He’s the one practicing after all.”

This man was unsettling. Damen was confused by the change of tone but he beamed and thanked him. Considering the skater was training for the upcoming season, they would probably be coming to the rink a lot which meant more compromises if their booking slot overlapped again so Damen had better get on friendly terms with them. Hopefully, the young man would be more amiable than his coach though.

“Laurent, come here please.” The coach said, raising his voice slightly to catch the young man’s attention. “Someone wants to talk to you.”

The blond – Laurent, paused, looking confused, but he skated back to them, only to freeze upon seeing Damen. For one brief second, his eyes widened in what looked like recognition but then the look was gone, replaced by coldness that was very much like his coach, if not sharper. It would have made Damen feel uneasy if he had not been staring at him in awe. His blond hair and bright blue eyes seemed strangely familiar but he was confident he would remember meeting him. He was absolutely stunning, probably younger than him by a few years, somewhere between 18 and 19, and Damen could barely remember how to breath, let alone speak.

“What do you want?”

The sharp tone cut through his daze and Damen stared at the young man in stunned silence now, taken aback.

What the hell? He was pretty sure he had never seen the man in his life before but his resentful attitude made him hesitant. Considering he was exactly his type, Laurent could have been a one night stand except that Damen was adamant he would remember him, even drunk out of his mind. Or maybe, Laurent simply disliked hockey players. That wouldn’t sound too far-fetched actually, especially when said hockey players interrupted his training session.

“Hi! Yeah, sorry for interrupting your training session, I’ll be quick. I just need to ask you something.”

Laurent narrowed his eyes at him, his arms crossed over his chest, but said nothing so he kept talking.

“Seems there was a mix-up with our time slot. My team is supposed to practice from now until eleven and your coach says you have the rink until ten.” There was no reply from the young man, only this cold stare. “So, uh, I thought we could share the rink. We only really need half of-”

“No.”

The reply was short, final, leaving no room to discussion.

Damen had his mouth open in shock and he actually took a second to think back on when he might have met Laurent to infuse him with so much dislike. When nothing came back to him, he scowled. He could understand not liking to be interrupted in the middle of a practice session but there was no need to be so rude and Damen had been nothing if not friendly.

“Look. I’m not any happier than you to share but my team needs to train.”

“Well tough, so do I.” Laurent replied with a sweet smile that did not reach his eyes. “You can have the rink in an hour.” Damen could hear the dismissal in his voice and it left him gaping at his retreating back, both shocked and amazed by his nerves.

What a _bitch_.

Damen stepped on the ice and caught his arm to stop him, his temper rising. “Hey! Hold up a second, who do you think you are? Our training is just as important as yours.”

“ _Don’t touch me_.” Laurent hissed, pulling his arm away with an alarmed look that was quickly replaced by anger.

Damen recoiled at the venom in his voice and he immediately raised his hands in front of him, an apology on his lips. Only then did he realise he had a good twenty centimetres on Laurent. Spending most of his time with the hockey team, he often forgot how big and intimidating he could be to others. Not to mention that he knew his angry outbursts could be quite frightening.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to calm down just as he had learnt, then looked back at Laurent with a softer expression.

“I'm sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. But come on, we could-”

“ _No_. I’m training for the world championship and unlike your pitiful team, I actually have a chance of winning. Now, fuck off, you're wasting my time.”

His reaction was so violent, his eyes burnt with so much hatred, Damen decided on backing off for now before anger could take over. This Laurent definitely knew him and he obviously hated his guts, although he still had no clue why. As far as he knew, he had never met the man until today and nothing he had said or done warranted such a hostile exchange.

Shaking his head, he headed back to his team.

Outraged reactions met his explanation and they immediately voiced their anger, not holding back on the insults. It was all Damen could do to keep his teammates from going on the rink to deal with the young man themselves but he eventually convinced them it was a good opportunity to discuss tactics and training since Makedon had just arrived.

By the end of the hour, they had actually made some interesting changes to their game but Damen would be damned if he thanked Laurent for that. Instead, he stood up the moment the music stopped, figuring it was their cue to get on the ice, and he gestured for his team to follow him.

Laurent was leaning back against the barrier, drinking from a bottle of water. Except for locks of hair falling out of his braid and the flush of his cheeks, he looked unruffled, as if hours of skating had not taken any toll on him. If Damen wasn't so annoyed with him, he would actually be impressed. He knew how tough figure skating was and how hard skaters trained to get to such a high level of competition. He could only guess how many hours Laurent dedicated to his training each day to be able to land his jumps so perfectly.

Damen winced internally when he heard his teammates muttering insults at the man as they walked by him to get on the ice. Even if the young man was annoying, he didn't deserve those comments and it certainly would not improve their relationship. Considering they were both training for a competition, Damen could only guess they would see more of Laurent, meaning they had to keep a somewhat civil attitude or the next couple of months, if not years, would be hell. And with some luck, he would figure out what he had ever done to him.

Taking a deep breath, Damen walked up to Laurent.

Laurent’s face was carefully blank when Damen stopped in front of him but his eyes were throwing daggers. Damen could feel Nikandros’ eyes on him, probably judging him because yes, Laurent was just his type, but he ignored his friends in order to look only at the young man. His friends said he was incapable of hiding his emotions, hopefully it would help him there.

“If you're waiting for an-”

“I’m sorry,” Damen interrupted quickly. “About my teammates. It won't happen again.”

For one second, surprise replaced the angry light in Laurent’s eyes but it was gone as quickly as it had come, replaced by a frown. “Do I look like I care? Next time, check you have the right time slot.”

Without waiting for his reply, he went to his coach who started talking to him in quick, ushered Veretian. There was a new line of tension in the young man’s shoulders and he seemed oddly small of all a sudden but Damen couldn't find himself to care after being so coldly rebuffed for the third time. Serves him right if he was being lectured by his coach.

Nikandros clapped him on the back when he joined him. “What a bitch. Ignore him, _please_. He is no worth it.”

Damen nodded, glancing one last time at Laurent before turning to his team with a grin. The golden ice prince was pushed to the back of his mind as he focused on the team while Makedon shouted instructions at them. They had wasted enough time as it was. Laurent would probably be enough of a pain to make sure their paths would never cross again, which would be for the best. Damen did _not_ need a new hellish blond beauty in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

Damen tried to forget Laurent like his teammates had so unhelpfully suggested, but surprise-surprise, it was impossible.

Laurent was at the rink every day and despite his best efforts, Damen could not look away when he was around. His looks held his attention, his skating skills captivated him, and soon he could not even close his eyes without seeing his familiar figure in his mind.

After two weeks, he gave in and looked him up online. With only a first name to go with, he had troubles finding him but after more hours researching than he would ever admit, he found videos of him as a junior skater and he spent the rest of his night watching his old programs. The videos and comments were in Vaskian but from what he understood Laurent had been between fourteen and sixteen. There was nothing beyond, which confused him, but he was happy to rewatch his last junior World Cup free program again and again.

To sum up, Damen was head over heels for Laurent and even though he had been angry with him at first, he now desperately wanted to know what he had done to him. He was dead certain he could feel his blue eyes on him when he trained and he _had_ caught him smiling at jokes he had made a couple of times. But whenever Damen would turn to him with a friendly smile, hoping to start a conversation, he would find Laurent busy practicing or in a deep conversation with his coach, as if he had not been looking at him a few seconds before. And on the rare occasions their eyes met, Laurent would smile only to suddenly look away with a frown. And if Damen tried to walk to him, he would quite literally flee. He was unapproachable.

Then their timeslots overlapped again.

“You have _got_ to be kidding me.”

Damen spun on the ice at the familiar voice, his heart fluttering in his chest. His excitement quickly slipped away at Laurent’s annoyed expression though. After weeks of daydreaming, he had forgotten that Laurent held a grudge against him.

Bracing himself, Damen skated up to him with a bright smile. Laurent looked disgruntled but he let him approach, which was rather positive considering their previous encounters.

“Laurent, happy to see you.”

“I can’t say the feeling is mutual.”

Damen paused then a startled laugh escaped him as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Jeez, what have I ever done to you?”

“You’re on my ice for starters.”

Damen took a second to consider his reply then raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face. “As far as I know, the rink belongs to my uncle. Makedon. So, it might as well be mine.”

Laurent flushed. “Well, I don’t see your name anywhere, do I?”

“I don’t see yours either.” He replied teasingly.

Laurent’s lips twitched, his cheeks reddening a little more, then he scowled, his arms crossed over his chest. His golden hair was pulled up in a ponytail today, with only a few strands framing his pale face and bright blue eyes. Gods, he was gorgeous.

Focus, Damen.

“Look, there is plenty of space for you and my boys. I’ll move the equipment to one side and you can have the other half.” Feeling that Laurent wanted to interject, he pressed on, gesturing at the rink behind him. “Everything is already in place, it would make us both lose precious time if I moved everything. My team won’t bother you, I promise.”

“I’m not afraid of them.” Laurent raised his chin defiantly.

“I never said you were.” Damen replied calmly then skated backwards with a smile. “Look, I’ll just move everything to give you room and you decide whether you want to come or not.”

With this, he turned around and rearranged the equipment he had laid out on the ice so that it could fit on one half of the rink. Laurent seemed torn between telling him off and accepting his offer. Damen had yet to figure him out, he seriously doubted he would ever get to, but he had the distinct impression that this was all a façade. He had seen the amused spark in his eyes when he had teased him.

“I doubt your team can fit on only one half of the rink.”

The voice made him pause but Damen finished placing the cones on the ice before he looked over his shoulder to glance at Laurent. He was on the ice, wearing a detached expression as he warmed up but his eyes kept darting back at him.

“Don’t worry about them.” Damen replied after a second as he moved to Laurent’s side of the rink to check he had not forgotten anything.

“Oh, I’m not worried, I will break their ankle if they get too close to me.”

Damen stared. Was he joking? Not that he had doubts regarding his strength. Figure skaters _were_ strong, but Laurent was… tiny. Damen was pretty sure he would not be able to withstand a hockey player slamming into him. His confident stance made him rethink that belief though.

“ _Oh, fuck me_.”

Damen jumped as Nikandros cursed in Akielon, cutting through his thoughts. His friend just was stepping on the ice with a scowl, followed by the rest of the team that filled only half of the rink with confused expressions.

“Are you fucking kidding me? What’s this?” Nikandros asked imperiously, gesturing at the half-filled rink, at Laurent who was watching them with something close to amusement in his eyes, and then at Damen who was rubbing his neck nervously once again.

“Nikandros, language.” Makedon called out from the side. “Damen, what’s going on here again?”

“They mixed up our booking again.” He replied with a shrug. “I had everything ready but Laurent needs to train too so I offered to share. There’s more than enough space for us all.”

There was a pause, followed by a long-suffering sigh. “Fine, get started then.”

Nikandros skated up to him, speaking rapidly, switching back to their native language so as to avoid being understood by some of the team… and by Laurent. “ _Damianos, I swear to all the gods. I love you, you’re my brother, I would do anything for you. But you really need to do something about this obsession of yours. He’s an asshole! He was a dick to you that first day, remember? Why the hell would you suggest sharing it? He’s not worth it! I know he’s your type- don’t you dare say you’re not in love with him already- but please. Stop thinking with your dick._ ”

Damen felt himself flush.

“ _Look I’m just being nice._ _He needs the ice too; his first competition is coming up. Come on, we’re wasting time_ ,” he mumbled, stealing a glance at Laurent.

Laurent was looking at them with open curiosity, his head slightly cocked to one side, as if he was trying to understand a complex equation. Then their eyes met and he turned away hastily to move to the other end of the rink. But with his neck unveiled thanks to the ponytail, Damen could see flushed skin disappearing under his black shirt.

Interesting.

Smiling to himself, Damen turned to his teammates and started the drill. With their first game around the corner, they all had to be in peak condition so Makedon pushed them harder than usual. Their supporters would expect a lot from them. It was supposed to bring the team back in the game, make everyone forget about the disastrous previous season, and Damen fully intended to deliver. 

*

After an hour of training, Makedon called for a short break.

Damen took his helmet off and looked proudly at his team. Grabbing a bottle, Damen leant against the barrier while the others relaxed and laughed. Lazar was flirting with Pallas on a side of the rink while Nikandros was glaring at them in frustration. Damen shrugged it off. As long as they could think with their brains during a game, he honestly did not care for all their flirting. Not that he could say anything considering…

A golden flash caught his attention and he looked over at the other half of the rink, where Laurent was practicing his new programs. Damen had never seen it so he nearly dropped his bottle when he realised what he was seeing, gaping slightly at the younger man. Laurent was incredibly graceful, swirling and jumping on the ice as if it required no efforts. He felt like he could spend hours watching him in silence.

Based on what he knew about figure skating, his technique was flawless. But something seemed off, though he could not quite figure out what yet. Laurent was absolutely breath-taking but now that he had spent a few minutes looking at him, Damen noticed the light frown, the tense shoulders.

Then it clicked.

His performance lacked of emotions.

Figure skating was supposed to be as much about technique as about performing and right now, Laurent seemed to only have mastered one of the two elements. Which was rather surprising considering his age and the videos Damen had watched online. He remembered one performance so beautiful the crowd had stood up and clapped loudly.

“You call that a jump? That’s pathetic. Again. And wipe that frown off your face, you’re supposed to skate to love and longing, not fighting a battle.”

Damen looked to the side to find the coach standing with his arms crossed over his chest. The more he saw the man, the less he liked him. Laurent was doing wonderfully, how could he not see that? Sure, his job as a coach was to point out mistakes so that Laurent could improve and be perfect for his competitions but surely there were nicer ways to do so. And he was his uncle, he should be more supportive. Instead, he was cold, unforgiving and a hard coach. He sounded nothing like a supportive family member. Whether it was his coaching technique or his usual character, Damen was not sure, but he disliked it.

Damen turned back to Laurent and found him looking even more tense, though he now had a blank expression on his face. A hot surge of protectiveness rushed through him. Laurent might be cold and sharp, but he certainly did not deserve such a treatment. For a second, Damen actually considered sending the puck over to his side so that he would have a reason to interrupt him but he quickly discarded the thought. It might startle Laurent and lead to an injury, not to mention that he would most likely be furious with him instead of thankful for the break.

Sighing, he pushed himself off the barrier and joined Nikandros before he could do something foolish. His friend welcomed him with an unimpressed look and Damen braced himself, already knowing what he would say.

“Not a crush, hm?”

He flushed. “Not now, Nik.”

“I am not waiting until he breaks your heart, Damianos.”

It was endearing and heart-warming to have such an attentive friend but sometimes, it could be overbearing. Like now. Damen sighed deeply but he knew he would not avoid having that talk with Nikandros. His friend had been slightly traumatised by the fallout from his last relationship.

Clasping a hand over his shoulder, Damen offered him a bright smile.

“Nik. Let’s finish this drill _then_ you can drag me to a bar and tell me all about your concerns over a drink. Deal?”

For a brief moment, Nikandros looked mutinous but then he shook his head and threw his hands up in the air in annoyance. “Fine! But for the record, I told you so.”

Damen only smiled in reply.

*

“-not date him. Your last relationship ended up with me practically scrapping you off the ground. She made you _miserable_ , she only cared about her career and he is the same!” Nikandros concluded, pointing an accusing finger at him. Then he paused, frowned, and came back on his words. “Actually no, I’m not done. I have at least ten other reasons why it’s a bad idea.”

“Why don’t I get you another drink first?” Damen interrupted smoothly as he stood up and grabbed their empty glasses. “I’m sure you’re thirsty after this.”

There was a pause during which Nikandros seemed torn between scowling at him and thanking him. In the end, he made a weird grimace and shooed him away, pulling out his phone, most likely to write down his next points. Smiling to himself, Damen headed to the counter. He was tempted to buy something stronger than beer. He was not sure he could endure another hour of Nikandros's lecture without it.

Lost in his thoughts, he barely managed to sidestep an overly excited group of girls but in doing so, his back hit someone and he winced when he heard the distinctive sound of something crashing and spilling to the ground.

“Shit, I’m so sorry!” He apologised, trying to turn around despite the crowd.

“Oh, come on, not you.” A familiar voice snapped. “Are you following me?”

“Laurent?” Damen finally managed to turn around to face him, astounded to find him there. Laurent had not really struck him as the kind of person who enjoyed going out for a drink. Or going out at all.

And unsurprisingly, Laurent was scowling at him.

Damen tried to apologise again but he was speechless. Laurent was wearing the plainest clothes possible; a tight pair of blue denims and a large white shirt, which was stunning enough considering he only wore black during training, but as always, it was his golden hair that really caught his attention. Instead of being pulled up in a ponytail, a bun or a braid, it was free. It flowed down his shoulders with soft waves that moved gracefully with his movements and Damen could not think. He looked like a model. And he was so _small_.

“Oh great, you’re even dumber off the ice.” Laurent muttered something else to himself but with the crowd around them, Damen only caught ‘always the dumb ones’. “Gods know why I even bother with you. Thank you for ruining my drink, you giant beast. Now get out of my way.”

The prospect of Laurent leaving was enough to reboot his brain and Damen caught his hand, only to release it at the look it earned him. “Sorry! I just- I’m sorry, let me buy you a drink? To make up for the one I ruined, please.”

For a second, he fully expected to be slapped.

Laurent was frowning, his body tense, but then he looked at a point behind Damen and his whole attitude changed. His face turned red, he shifted self-consciously and bit his lips – Damen felt his heart miss a beat – as he raised a hand to tuck his hair behind his ear. His frown came back for a split-second as he glared at whoever was behind him. Then he seemed to remember Damen and blinked adorably at him before straightening up, not quite managing his usual unaffected look. Damen could honestly spend his life watching him.

“I’m getting the most expensive cocktail they have and I don’t care if you’re unhappy with that. You offered to pay.” He said, the pretty blush still on his cheeks as he spun on his heels.

Damen was utterly besotted.

He had never seen Laurent looking so flustered.

Curious to know who he was to thank for this turnaround, he started looking over his shoulder but then Laurent called his name and he was all he could think about. He only barely remembered to warn Nikandros. With his height, he was impossible to miss in a crowd but still, Nikandros had enough on his plate without him disappearing. Although, considering the murderous expression on his friend’s face when their eyes met, he probably should have kept to himself. Damen was too happy to care though. Grinning at Nikandros, he gestured at Laurent with a victorious smile. His friend responded by rolling his eyes beautifully before flipping the bird at him and turning away, looking resigned.

Chuckling to himself, Damen made his way to Laurent who looked highly unimpressed by the exchanged. He felt his face heat up to have been caught even if objectively, they had not been particularly discreet.

“Uh, sorry, he’s… not usually like that. He…”

“Doesn’t like me.” Laurent finished, his tone void of emotions. “Yes, I had gathered that much.”

Damen looked behind him just in time to catch Nikandros scowling at Laurent. Frowning, he gestured at him to get lost then moved in front of Laurent. “Sorry, he’s… he’s still bitter about our first meeting.”

“You’re not?”

His voice was even but he pushed his hair behind his ear again and avoided his eyes, pretending to look at the drinks menu. Oh, Damen was already so whipped. Smiling faintly, he leant back against the counter next to him.

“I don’t hold grudges. They hold you back and dwelling on the past is pointless. I mean, it was a douche move but I understand. You’re training for something important and you’re very good at it. You’re an amazing skater. I, uh, watched a couple of your previous programs on the internet.” He admitted before he could stop himself.

“You watched my previous programs?” The fake angry expression was gone, replaced by genuine surprise. “Which ones? Why?”

Damen shrugged, his face burning. “I don’t know which ones, you looked younger but the descriptions were in Vaskian. I think it was from your junior years? Anyway, I loved them. You were… breath-taking and full of life, it’s obvious you loved it. You can learn a lot about a person from how they skate. Your spins and your triple toes are amazing too.”

“You think so?” Laurent looked stunned now. He was nearly gaping at him, as if he was seeing him for the first time. “Wait, you know about figure skating?”

“Yeah? Just because I’m a hockey player doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy figure skating too.” He pointed out with a smile before waving at the bartender to get his attention.

Laurent hummed softly, his expression thoughtful as he seemed to take him in once again. His eyes did not hold their usual glint of resentment. They were full of wonder and curiosity for once, and something else, more tentative. Damen almost felt naked under such scrutiny. But then, there was an almost imperceptible change in Laurent’s body language and it made it worth it. Instead of looking tense, ready to flight, he looked nearly relaxed. He wasn’t sure what had made him relax but he would not complain.

Damen turned to the bartender, leaving Laurent alone with his thoughts while he ordered all his drinks and paid. Taking Laurent’s expensive cocktail, he offered it to him with a charming smile.

“Your drink. The most expensive, as requested.”

He had no idea how much it had cost considering he had paid without looking but it would definitely be worth it if it earned him a smile from Laurent. And there was one. It was small, almost secretive, but Damen saw the hint of amusement in his eyes as he delicately took the glass from him, brushing their fingers, the light touch enough to send sparks up his arm.

Laurent eyed the drink carefully then he slowly brought it to his lips and Damen leant forward, praying the drink would be good and earn him another smile. He had never seen him so open and relaxed before. Laurent noticed him staring because he paused, then looked up and added with a playful smile as he lowered the glass.

“Surely watching me drink can’t be this interesting.”

His face heat up with embarrassment to have been caught staring and Damen laughed sheepishly, leaning back. “Sorry, I just really hope it’s worth the one I spilled.”

Laurent hummed, toying with the little umbrella in his cocktail, then pushed himself away from the counter with a smile. “I’ll ask you to pay for another one if it’s not.”

“And I’ll be happy to pay for it.”

“What if I lie and ask you to pay for the second most expensive drink?” Laurent asked, a teasing look in his eyes.

“I’d still be happy to pay for it if it allows me to spend more time with you.” Damen replied with a charming smile as he took a sip of his beer. He watched with interest as Laurent adverted his eyes while his cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink once again. He took another sip of beer then a thought crossed his mind and he added quickly before he could chicken out. “Hey, listen, I have a game this weekend, well, the team does, same thing. Anyway, would you like to come? It’ll be a small game, we’re only getting back in the competition after all, but it should be fun to watch. Hockey games are usually fun and our supporters are awesome.”

Much to his dismay, the clouded expression was suddenly back on Laurent’s face, as well as the tension in his shoulders. It caught him off-guard. He had not expected this reaction and he silently cursed himself for speaking without thinking. Everything was going so well. He should have said nothing, no matter how much he wanted Laurent to come to his game. How much he wanted him to really _see_ him.

It made him curious though.

Contrary to his first impression, Laurent did not seem to have a problem with him. He could obviously tolerate and even _appreciate_ him actually. Their exchange had been nice and borderline flirtatious. Laurent himself had seemed to enjoy spending time with him and he had chosen to stay even after getting his drink. But hockey was definitely a sore topic for him. His theory that Laurent might have had a bad experience with hockey players might turn out to be true.

“Laurent, sorry, you don’t have to come, I just thought…”

“I’ll see.” He interrupted, his tone cautious and hesitant. “I have to go, bye Damen.”

He left before Damen could question him. Not that he even thought of trying, too confused by his reply to do anything but watch him leave until he disappeared in the crowd. Eventually, Damen remembered Nikandros was still waiting for his drink and so he made his way back to him. Nikandros took one long look at him then sighed dramatically and started talking about their upcoming game while Damen stared at his drink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one will be up tomorrow around the same time :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter and from Laurent's POV (who's incredibly difficult to write, damn). Next chapter is nearly 5k to make up for that!
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

Laurent stared at the skating rink, once again debating whether he should go in or not.

He had spent the last two days constantly changing his mind until curiosity, and something else he would rather ignore, had gotten the best of him. Even as he had driven to the rink he had thought of turning back more than once. And now that he was actually standing outside the building, nervousness replaced his curiosity. He could go home. No one would ever know. Except for Damen, who had looked like a kicked puppy when Laurent had failed to answer positively to his invitation.

A small body crashed into his legs, cutting through his thoughts, and Laurent automatically reached out to catch the young boy before he could fall on the ground.

“Be careful, it’s slippery, you might hurt yourself.”

The boy turned red, mumbled an apology and a quick ‘thankyoumister’ before he started running again.

“Hurry up, dad!! Jeffrey says Damianos is training, I wanna see him, _I wanna see him_! Is it true he’s as big as a mountain? That’s…”

As the small voice faded away, Laurent realised he was now surrounded by a large crowd, engulfing him in a sea of red and gold. He blinked, slightly taken aback, and looked around him helplessly. It was as if half of the town had come to support the university’s hockey team, despite the game being a small one. The sight brought back nostalgic memories that tugged at his heart a little painfully but he pushed passed it.

Taking a deep breath to calm down, he made his way through the crowd. He felt slightly out of place with his blue coat but at least, the other team’s colours were black and white so he could not be mistaken for their supporter. Squeezing through a large group of supporters, he glanced down at his ticket to check his seat then made his way down the stairs. It might be because he was on his own, but he had managed to get a surprisingly good seat for the game: a lower-bowl sideline seat, on the fourth row. He disliked being so close to the rink but at least he would properly see the players.

With all his second thoughts, Laurent had missed the warm-up sessions but it was not like he had not watched Damen train a hundred times before. He could probably recognise him from his muscled back alone by now. Letting out a shaky breath, he looked around him nervously as he played mindlessly with his gloves. He came there every day but the rink felt unfamiliar now that it was packed with supporters and decorated with the two teams’ colours. He also felt like he had never truly appreciated how big it was until now.

A loud voice rose above the crowd’s rumble, announcing the players’ arrival on the ice, and Laurent felt his breath catch in his throat as they stepped on the ice and skated around the rink. It had been two years since he had last seen a game but the feeling of anticipation was still there. Although for very different reasons.

Laurent sat a little straighter to be able to see above the supporters in front of him as he reviewed the two teams, quietly judging their strengths. His eyes glided over the players with disinterest until he spotted Damen. Not that he was difficult to miss. Every time he raised an arm to wave, the red and gold crowd went wild with cheers while Laurent felt his heart miss a beat.

Suddenly, there was a suspended moment of calm despite the buzzing atmosphere as everyone waited excitedly, then the referee dropped the puck and the crowd went wild.

At first, it was easy to pretend he didn't care which team won or lost. It was easy to watch quietly, to ignore the people loudly cheering or whistling next to him as the puck flew from player to player. Laurent watched dispassionately as two opposite players fought to get the puck, barely bat an eye when Nikandros scored a goal, and focused very hard on not staring at Damen as he dashed on the ice, impressive, surprisingly graceful and nearly unstoppable. His own body was tense from trying to keep his composure. He doubted Damen or any of his teammates would recognise him in the crowd but if they did, he did not want them to believe he had a thing for Damen because he definitely did not. Beneath his smiles, Damen was a brute and Laurent had better not forget that like he had in the bar. Or like his treacherous mind did in his dreams.

So, he watched quietly through the first period, earning a few odd looks from the supporter around him that he easily ignored. He was only there for research purpose, he reminded himself. He was not there to have fun or, gods forbid, to play cheerleader for the Lions of Akielos. He merely wanted to see how the hockey team behaved during a real game. He had seen Damen practice many times, he had studied him very carefully. So far, he was exactly the same. Maybe more brutally determined but he still smiled like a goofy idiot more often than necessary and it was frustrating.

In spite of his best efforts though, Laurent was soon paying more attention to the game than he would like to admit. He tried to keep still and quiet but it was difficult when there was such a vibrant atmosphere around him. It was heady and infectious. The excitement of the arena had seeped inside his bones and he could not help straining to get a better view, his heart speeding up as he bit his lip nervously until an aborted cry of frustration escaped him when Damen nearly scored.

He knew Damen and his team were good, that much was evident from their training and he knew more than enough about hockey to notice that, but seeing them _play_ was an entirely difference experience and he begrudgingly loved every second of it. Entranced as he was, Laurent had not realised he was cheering with the men in red and gold surrounding him. For one brief second, he wondered why he had stopped going to hockey games and a pang of guilt twisted his heart as memories came back to him but before he could dwell on it, the game was back on full speed, demanding his undivided attention.

Laurent tried to pay equal attention to every player but his eyes would inevitably go back to Damen. Even hidden away under a hockey gear, Damen was incredibly charismatic, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that he truly was an extraordinary player. If it had not been for his ban last season, he probably would have made it to the country’s national team. His only issue seemed to be his temper…

The crowd suddenly erupted in protest and Laurent focused back on the game, only to freeze at what he saw.

Damen had checked a blond man right in front of him and he looked furiously at the man sprawled on the ice before him. Laurent faintly heard a supporter agree with Damen for protecting Nikandros but the check was about to turn into an actual fight. Laurent felt his throat tighten as bad memories came back to him. His heart sped up, making his head spin as he tried to stand up on shaky legs.

Unfortunately for him, all the supporters were shouting and engrossed in the upcoming fight, trapping him in his seat. Laurent cursed, only barely keeping bad memories from swallowing him and making him panic. He had to get out and fast.

Looking back at the rink, it felt like he was watching everything through a fog, his brain only faintly registering what was happening. Nikandros skated up to his captain and Damen suddenly jerked back violently, looking horrified and terribly pale, as if he had come out of a trance. Laurent watched in stunned silence as Damen took a few steps back, apparently breathing heavily, then their eyes met. He could see his brown eyes were wide with fear that quickly turned to surprise and recognition. Damen hesitated then sent him a tentative smile, raising a hand to wave at him only to drop it, looking worried. Laurent didn’t need a mirror to know how he looked. He had seen himself in the mirror of his bathroom enough times since the accident; he looked pale and horrified, frozen by fear.

Without wasting another second, he made his way through the crowd and left.

He had been stupid to think Damen had changed, Laurent thought as he got into the safety of his car and buried his face in his hands. Damen had not gravely injured anyone today, though the blond man would probably sport bruises for a few days, but Laurent had seen him doing so once before and he had no intention of seeing that ever again. He had seen him destroy a career in a fit of anger. He had seen the consequences of his stupid, brutish strength at another game…

But that had been over a year ago. Even if Laurent was reluctant to admit it, he _had_ changed.

Today, Damen had been within his rights. He had checked the other player just like he was supposed to and he had not harmed him. Actually, he had looked badly shaken by his action, to the point that he had seemed nearly sick. Laurent had never imagined he could turn this pale… He ran a hand through his hair, reconsidering everything he had thought to know about him. Had Damen really been that affected by the accident? Laurent had been so terrified, he could only remember rushing to his brother’s side once he had been carried off the ice. He had no recalling of how Damen had reacted. He had convinced himself Damen hadn’t cared, that he had shrugged it off and contested his ban but he could see now that he might have been wrong about him.

Sure, Damen might be a little rough but he _was_ a giant beast. He probably had no idea how big he was. And despite his best intention, it was impossible for Laurent to forget how sweet and kind he had been to him despite his cold, bitchy attitude. He had offered to share the rink, defended him against his teammates although they had every right to be annoyed with him, and he had paid for his drink at the bar. His crush was also rather obvious… but Laurent could _not_ fall in love with _Damianos_ of all people…

Laurent groaned as he let his head fall on the wheel. Damn it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much longer chapter to make up for the previous one and the delay!

Chapter 4

“Damen. _Damianos_!”

Damen nearly fell off his bed as the shout tore him out of his thoughts, making him knock over his computer and box of chocolates. Taking his earplugs out, he looked up to find Nikandros standing in the doorway with a scowl and his arms crossed over his chest.

“Fuck! You nearly gave me a heart attack, Nik. Give a man a warning.” He said with a shaky laugh as he sat up and collected his chocolates before they could stain his sheets. “What’s up?”

“ _What’s up_? We were supposed to leave for open skate fifteen minutes ago and you’re not even dressed.”

Nikandros stepped inside the bedroom, looking positively repulsed by the state of it as he picked up worn clothes to throw them in the laundry basket. He paused to glance at the computer only to roll his eyes when he found a video of Laurent skating. “Really, Damen. Again?”

“He’s a beautiful skater!” Damen countered sheepishly, feeling his cheeks warm up as he hurried to close his computer and stood up.

“As beautiful as a rose and you got stuck by his thorns. Hurry up now, the guys are waiting for us.” Nikandros snapped, throwing a clean shirt at his head.

“Do you think he’ll be at the rink too?”

“Gods, I hope not.”

“Nik.”

Nikandros threw his hands up in the air. “I don’t know, Damen. He’s made it clear he doesn’t like skating with others so I seriously doubt he’ll go to the rink on open day for fun. There will be kids, amateurs, us… I really don’t see him going there when he thinks sharing the ring with us is the worst thing that could happen to him. He probably has a life outside practice too.”

“But I miss him.” Damen whined as he flopped back down on his bed with the shirt on his face. Nikandros cursed under his breath. “I haven’t seen him in two weeks, Nik. Two weeks! What if something has happened to him? And you should have seen his expression at the game...”

“Maybe he needed to use the bathroom.”

“ _Nik_.” Damen sat up with a distressed expression. “He really looked upset, he was- he looked terrified and disgusted and so pale. Like… I never- it nearly made me sick.”

Nikandros stared at him, silently judging how seriously upset he was, then he sighed and sat down next to him.

“Listen. There’s no point wondering what goes through his mind. No, really, I’m not being mean, I’m stating a fact.” He said with a shrug before Damen could argue. “I don’t always know what goes through _your_ mind and I’ve known you my entire life. So, who knows what happened at the rink. Maybe he forgot an appointment. Maybe he received bad news by text. My point is: you’re wasting time asking yourself the impossible. Ask him next time you see him. He might be away because of a competition. Now come on, get up, get dressed. The guys are waiting for us.”

Damen wanted to protest but he had to admit that he had a point. Letting out a sigh, he closed his computer then stood up to put on the shirt and his jeans. At least skating with their friends would clear his mind.

“Are we still teaching Lazar’s friend how to skate? Carglas?” He called out to Nikandros from the bathroom.

“Who? Kallias?” Nikandros leant against the door, watching as he struggled to get his hair up. “Yeah, apparently he has a date with a figure skater at the rink today and he doesn’t want to screw up. That should be fun. Remember last time he skated with us? He clutched to the barrier the whole time.”

“And he still managed to fall ten times.” Damen chuckled, grabbing his jacket and skates as he followed his friend outside of the flat. “Oh well, this time he’ll have nearly the whole team to help him out. Hopefully, he’ll be able to stand on his skates before his date.”

*

“Yeah, there you go!” Aktis cheered as Kallias slowly moved forward, his legs a little shaky but his expression determined. “Come on, look up now, you’ve got it.”

Kallias was staring at his feet, carefully taking each step, but he eventually looked up. He gasped when he realised he had nearly reached the other edge of the rink and punched the air with an excited shout. “Guys, look! I did it- Fuck!” He floundered, losing his equilibrium, and fell backward.

Pallas barely stifled a laugh as he skated up to him to help him stand. “Nearly there, come on, let’s do a few more laps.”

“Fuck, this is so much harder than you guys make it seem.” Kallias laughed as he let go of his hand, a determined expression on his face. “Okay, knees bent a little, not too forward…”

Damen skated backward in front of him while the others joined them, just in case he fell again and to keep the other skaters away from him. “So, tell us about this guy. Who’s he? Lazar says he’s a figure skater?”

Kallias’s blue eyes light up and he nodded excitedly, forgetting about his feet to look up at him instead. “Yeah, he is! His name is Erasmus, he’s the cutest and most beautiful man I’ve ever seen. He's a bit shy but so, so sweet. And very funny.”

“How did you meet?” Nikandros piped in, frowning lightly as a group of kids zigzagged carelessly between them. “Watch out, kids!”

“So, there was this figure skating competition last weekend and I got a small job there.” Kallias explained, wobbling a little on his feet before steadying himself. “Long story short, I ended up in the men’s room to make sure everyone was okay and that’s when I saw Erasmus. He was practising in a corner with a blond guy. I went over to check up on them, we spoke a bit then the other guy left we spoke some more and I invited him out before I could chicken out.”

“A blond guy?” Damen looked back at Kallias with interest. “What did he look like?”

Nikandros rolled his eyes while Kallias slammed into the barrier and held onto it before he could fall again. “Hey, I can nearly go around without falling!” He said proudly then shook his head. “And sorry Damen, I don’t really remember, we spoke for maybe five or ten minutes then he was gone, I was really focused on Erasmus… Why?”

“Because he has the biggest crush on a blond figure skater.” Nikandros groaned while Pallas and Lazar exchanged an amused look.

“Ah, well, sorry mate,” Kallias apologised with a wince, focusing on his feet again before looking up. “I only spent a couple of minutes with him.”

Damen shrugged casually but he could not hide his disappointment. “It’s alright. It probably wasn’t him anyway.”

Just as they had the past two weeks, his thoughts turned back to Laurent. Even if it hadn’t been him with Erasmus, chances were he had been at that competition which would explain why Damen had not seen him recently. He would look up the event on the Internet later. With some luck, Laurent would be one of the participants and he would get to see his new programs.

The thought cheered him up then a group of kids came up to him and the team, wearing oversized jerseys of gold and red, and he forgot all about Laurent. Damen loved kids. They had none of the inhibitions adults had. If they happened to see their favourite player, they would run up to them to demand pictures or autographs or ask questions while their parents would blush and stutter an apology. Damen laughed as three children hung to his arms to test his strength while two little girls had decided Nikandros would pull them around the rink.

He was halfway through a game of tag when a familiar golden flair caught his attention. He froze for a second then spun around, using his towering height to look through the crowd. He was pretty sure he had seen-

A soft gasp escaped him when his eyes found Laurent standing next to a younger, nervous-looking blond guy. Laurent had stopped too, looking like a deer caught in headlights, while his friend spoke to him happily. They stared at each other for a few seconds, enough for Damen to take him in. His hair was tied up in a pony tail and on top of his usual tight black training gears, Laurent was wearing an oversized blue and silver jersey that only hinted at his slender figure. Damen blinked. The jersey looked a lot like-

“Damen! You didn’t even try to catch us this time.” The boy complained with a scowl, his hands on his hips as he blocked his way.

“I know kiddo but-”

The boy surged forward, half-touching, half-punching him in the stomach, then dashed away with a giggle. “You’re it!”

Damen tried to protest but when he looked back at Laurent, the man had his back to him and he was nodding at his cute blushing friends. They seemed to be in a very important discussion so Damen dropped it for now and went chasing after the kids who laughed in delight to have him back. He would have time to talk to Laurent later and get his answers, he promised himself. He was there with a friend and they had just arrived, there was no reason for him to leave already.

Half an hour later, Damen was over the moon. At first, Laurent’s expression had been cautious whenever he caught his eyes and he would immediately look away but it had eventually given way to a softer, almost sheepish expression. Damen had even seen him laugh at the silly things he did to amuse the kids, making his heart flutter with joy. He now desperately wanted to go talk to him but whenever he tried to, Laurent would be chatting with his friend. Soon enough though, Laurent’s friend disappeared, leaving him to skate alone in the middle of the crowd so Damen seized the opportunity to join him.

“Hello, Laurent.”

“Damen.”

“Do you mind if I skate with you?” He asked, his most charming smile on.

“As you see, the rink is not mine today.” Laurent replied dryly. “I can't stop you from skating with me, but don't expect me to hold onto your shirt. I can manage just fine on my own.”

“So you _were_ looking at me!” Damen beamed victoriously, ignoring his dry tone. He was fairly confident that this was just his way of teasing.

Laurent paused then flushed at his own admission, his pale cheek turning a pretty shade of pink. “It's difficult to miss a huge animal skating when there’s a flock of kids trailing behind him.”

“Is that jealousy I hear in your voice? Do you want me to pull _you_ behind me? I can make you go ‘super-fast,’ you know.” Damen teased with a wink as he moved to skate in front of him and extended a hand at him.

Different emotions flashed in Laurent’s eyes as he bit his lip to hide a smile then suddenly, it seemed he had made up his mind. A devilish smile replaced his blush and before Damen could fully register what was happening to him, Laurent had moved up to him, standing so close their chest were nearly touching and Damen could barely remember how to function.

Laurent spoke in a low, almost seductive voice, his finger slowly trailing up his chest as he looked at him from beneath his long lashes and Damen nearly fainted on the spot. “Oh, but what a shame that would be, I like it slow…”

Leaving Damen to gracelessly choke on his spit, Laurent brushed past him with a lovely laugh.

Damen spun around in the hope to catch him but he had already moved out of his reach. Laurent was lazily skating backward, pink-cheeked and a pleased smile on his face as he looked at him playfully. Their gaze met and Laurent stopped, his chin tilted up defiantly. Damen felt a slow smile spread on his face then he surged forward and Laurent spun to escape him, taking advantage of the lull in the crowd to go faster.

Laurent was fast, he would give him that, but Damen had his hockey skates on. It took him a few minutes because Laurent would take advantage of his slender figure to squeeze his way through groups of people while Damen had to circle around them but he eventually caught up with him. Carried away by their little game, Damen caught him around the waist with a grin without thinking.

“Gotcha!” He whispered proudly to his ear before letting go hastily with an apology when he remembered Laurent didn’t like being touched. “That was easy, sure you don’t want me to pull you around the rink? Seems like you could use a little speed after all.”

“Please. You got lucky because I had to slow down to avoid those kids.” Laurent scoffed but he was not hiding his smile now.

“Hm, pretty sure I would’ve caught you either way.” Damen challenged playfully, moving back closer to him. “Hockey blades are designed for speed, yours are designed for jumps. I'm definitely faster than you.”

Laurent raised an eyebrow at him, seemingly rising to the challenge. “I don't need hockey blades to beat you.”

“Wanna bet on it?” Damen asked with a smirk. It seemed that Laurent liked games and competition, he could definitely work with that. “Let’s have a race then. Right here, once everyone is gone.”

“A race?” Laurent paused, taking the offer into consideration, then he gave him a not-so-innocent look. “And what would be the prize?”

“T-the prize?”

“Well, yes. A prize. To make it more interesting.”

Laurent was once again standing too close to him and Damen stammered, suddenly finding himself tongue-tied.

Only minutes ago, he would have easily found at least ten things he wanted – answers, a date, a kiss… – but right now, he was completely smitten. Laurent’s eyes were bright blue, burning with challenge and something else. Damen wanted nothing more than to lean down and kiss his sinfully red lips. He wanted to kiss away that smirk and replace it with a softer smile like the ones he had seen earlier. And more than anything, he wanted to caress his cheeks and touch his hair. He wanted this moment to never end-

“Laurent!”

They both jumped as a happy masculine voice crashed through their moment. Laurent nearly fell backwards as he hastily stepped away from Damen, as if burnt, but a blond man caught him easily. Damen himself was frozen, gaping at the familiar man now standing with them.

Thankfully, he had not noticed him yet because Damen would not have been able to do anything besides stare in disbelief because Auguste De Vere was standing right in front of him and laughing gleefully at Laurent.

Shit. He felt like the air had been punched out of his lungs.

“Ah, sorry kitten, didn’t mean to startle you.” Auguste smiled, pinching Laurent’s cheek with an amused smile. “Wouldn’t do if I broke your leg when the season just started, would it?”

“Y-you were supposed to call me when you reached the rink!” Laurent replied, bright red and worried. “I was supposed to help you, the doctor said you have to be very careful.”

“The doctor said that a months ago, I’m fine.” Auguste waved a hand in the air with a smile. “It’s like riding a bike, right? And I did call but…”

Damen’s attention dropped as he kept staring silently at the two men.

He hadn't seen Auguste since the accident but he would have recognised him anywhere.

The dark golden hair and bright smile were his trademark, unmistakable… and Damen suddenly realised what had been so familiar about Laurent the first time he had met him. The resemblance was striking now that he had the two men standing together on the ice. Laurent was Auguste’s younger brother. They shared the same features: pale skin, blue eyes and golden blond hair. Even their skating was similar on some aspects now that he thought about it. But Damen also noticed their differences. Laurent’s gold was lighter, his eyes brighter, and where Auguste was regally handsome, Laurent was devastatingly beautiful.

And he was Auguste’s younger brother. No wonder he had resented him so much at first. And his reaction at the game made so much sense now…

“I’m sorry!” Damen interrupted before he could stop himself.

The two brothers stopped bickering and turned their attention on him.

“Damen?” Auguste seemed astounded.

Damen could relate.

He had never expected to see him again, even less develop a crush on his younger brother. Last time he had seen Auguste, he was being carried out of the rink by medics on a stretcher, his promising career ruined because Damen had lost control.

“Hi. Yeah. I…” Damen ran a hand through his hair, out of his depth and nervous. “Fuck. I- how- I had no idea Laurent is your brother.”

Auguste glanced at his brother, who now looked torn and embarrassed. Damen couldn’t blame him. Auguste hummed pensively then sighed and gestured at the small coffee stand opened for the day. “Why don’t we go grab a cup of coffee? I think we have a lot to discuss. Laurent, would you mind giving us a moment?”

Laurent immediately protested, switching to Veretian either because it was their mother tongue or because he hoped Damen would not understand. Sadly for him, he did.

“ _Are you sure you want to be alone with him?_ ”

“ _You didn’t seem to mind being alone with him a few minutes ago_.” Auguste replied with a raised eyebrow that made Laurent turned bright red then added before he could protest further. “ _I’m a big boy, Laurent. Please. I need to talk with him._ ”

Laurent steadily stared back at his brother, a silent conversation passing between them now, then looked away with a defeated sigh.

“Fine. Don’t hurt my brother again or I’ll kill you.” He threatened at Damen as he skated past him, visibly cross to have been pushed aside.

Damen tried to apologise but Laurent was gone before he could so instead, he turned to Auguste. The man was studying him intensely then he smiled faintly. “Let’s go. And I can skate just fine, don’t worry about what Laurent says. He’s incredibly overprotective.” 

As if to prove his words, Auguste circled around him easily to head for the exit. His movement were not as swift and graceful as they had once been but at least he could skate. Damen followed him out of the rink and to the small coffee stand with the feeling that a heavy stone had sank to the bottom of his stomach. Auguste was ordering coffees for them but he hardly noticed, swallowed by memories.

He had never forgotten about the accident. Once the anger had faded and he had realised what he had done, he had been beyond horrified. He still had nightmares every other week.

Damen had almost no memory of slamming into Auguste or what happened after that but in his dreams, he could hear the sound of bones snapping as he crushed his leg hard enough to break his knee and leg. Then faceless stretcher bearers would surround him, pushing him to the side so that they could take care of a bleeding and screaming Auguste. By that point in the dream, he either woke up in cold sweat or he found himself facing judgment for his reckless action. He shivered just thinking about it.

He remembered why he had attacked him though. It had been during the quarter-finals of the hockey University Cup. Supporters had been waiting for a match between the Lions of Akielos and the Snakes of Arles ever since their previous encounter during the previous season, which had resulted in a close victory from the Snakes. Damen had been determined to prove his worth as a new player and the son of the famous Theomedes Valakos. But he had also been younger, brash and borderline dangerous because of his anger-management issues. The accident had happened close to the end of the game. Someone from the Snakes had managed to score, tying the score once again. Auguste had made a risky move towards Nikandros who had been gaining speed to counter-attack. Damen had seen red and moved to stop him. Or rather, that had been his initial plan. Then he had come back to his self and found Auguste, Arles team’s Golden prince, on the ice, crying out in pain as his leg was bent unnaturally and

“Damen? Are you alright?”

Damen blinked, forcing himself to leave his memories to focus on the present instead. There was no point dwelling in the past. He had to move forward and this was his golden opportunity to apologise as he had desperately wanted to once he had gotten over his shock.

“Sorry, I just… Fuck, I never expected to see you today,” he explained weakly, stammering a little as he played with his empty cup of coffee. He didn’t even remember drinking it.

Taking a deep breath to steady his voice, Damen spoke up. “Auguste, I… I’m terribly sorry. No please, let me finish.” He added quickly with a raised hand when he saw him open his mouth, determined to finish. “I know it doesn’t make up for ruining your career and breaking your leg and hurting you and your family, but I am sorry. If there’s anything I can do to make up for it, just name it and I’ll do it.”

Auguste stared at him silently, his dark blue eyes heavy on him and making him squirm uncomfortably. Whatever his answer would be, Damen would welcome it and accept it though. He guessed Auguste would ask him to stay the hell away from his brother. It would break his heart but that would be completely understandable. Nobody would want their figure skating prodigy little brother near him after that.

His thoughts came to a stop when Auguste let out a soft sigh and he focused back on him, only to blink in surprise at the faint smile on his face.

“Thank you,” Auguste said. “It’s stupid but I wanted to hear you apologise.”

“It’s the least I can do, I should have apologised sooner but, well, I was young and stupid. And ashamed.” Damen added with a wince.

Auguste shook his head, waving a hand in the air. “It’s alright. I won’t lie, it took me a while to get over the accident. It was painful and a horrible experience but well, shit happens. Hockey is not exactly an injury-free sport, I knew the risks and it could have happened to anyone. I’ve always believed there’s no point in holding a grudge. You can’t change the past, you can only accept it and move on. And actually, I want to thank you.”

There was a beat of silence as Damen stared, gobsmacked. Not only Auguste De Vere had accepted his apology but he wanted to thank _him_?

“I’m sorry,” Damen tried to laugh though it sounded forced even to his ears. “I think I momentarily blacked out. What did you say?”

“I want to thank you,” Auguste repeated with a hint of amusement in his eyes, “because I can actually do what I want now. The recovery gave me time to think and… well, I realised I’m more interested in becoming a coach. I love hockey but I never really wanted to go pro. That was my father’s ambition. On the other hand, I loved teaching Laurent how to skate, I love helping new recruits, and so on. So yeah, I’m still recovering but I know what I really want to do now.” He concluded with his trademark bright smile.

Damen took a moment to absorb everything he had said, stunned that _Auguste_ would thank him, of all people. He had never planned for this outcome and he had no idea how to react. “I… I don’t really know what to say. I never expected you to be so, uh, positive about this.”

“Yeah, well, what can I say? Laurent always tells me I’m too naive but I’d rather say I’m optimistic.” He concluded with a proud smile.

Damen hummed, unsure of what to say now. That had gone better than he had ever expected but sitting across from Auguste was slightly awkward. There were many things he wanted to say but he was worried about breaking the unsaid truce between them. There was a moment of silence while they were both lost in thought, Damen idly playing with his empty cup of coffee while Auguste watched the skaters on the ice. He was eventually the first to break the silence by asking him about his new career choice, figuring it was a somewhat safe topic. Auguste was eager to answer, much to his relief, and very soon, they were discussing the upcoming season.

“… And that’s how we won again Patras last time.” Auguste explained, putting down the stirrer he had used to support his demonstration and represent hockey players. “They’ll have changed their tactic by now hopefully but they’ll probably stick to some of their old habits, which you can use to your advantage.”

Damen nodded as he looked at the tactic board made out of coffee cups, stirrers and napkins. “Yeah but then, that leaves my defence open to attacks, are you trying to make us lose Auguste?” He asked with a teasing smile.

Auguste opened his mouth to reply but he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. They both looked up to find Laurent raising an eyebrow at them, his arms crossed over his chest. “If you’re quite done exchanging hockey tricks and tactics – which I’m sure are fascinating – I’d like to spend some time with my brother and we have to go.”

Damen looked at his watch and his eyes widened to find that he had spent the past hour talking with Auguste. It wasn’t that surprising considering they shared the same interests but still, he had expected their first meeting to end up abruptly with a punch or a cold glare. Wincing, he stood up hastily.

“Shit, sorry, I hadn’t realised it was so late already. My friends are probably waiting for me anyway.” He extended a hand at Auguste with a smile. “It was really nice to talk to you. I’m glad you’re ok despite what I did.”

“It was. Let me know if you ever want to grab a beer, you’ve got my number.” Auguste smiled as he shook his hand then turned to his brother. “Sorry, I completely lost track of time. Let’s go!”

Damen turned his back on them to clean up the mess they had done while talking, feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. He had been terrified of ever meeting Auguste again but now that he had, he was relieved. He should have known that Auguste would not hold a grudge, he had heard enough about the man to know that he was practically perfect, but still. It had felt incredibly good to hear him accept his apology and to talk with him like he would talk to a friend.

Feeling the back of his neck prickle, he turned around to find Laurent staring at him while biting his lower lip hesitantly. He seemed ready to leave. He was wearing his sneakers and carrying his bag on his shoulders and Auguste and Erasmus were waiting by the exit. Damen froze, a little tense, but before his thoughts could jump to the worst-case scenario, Laurent waved a him, a small but beautiful smile on his lips. Caught by surprise, Damen waved back dumbly and watched in awe as Laurent smiled shyly then left to join a grinning Auguste.

When he finally came back to his senses, he beamed like the love-struck idiot he was and went back on the ice to join the guys, who wasted no time to make fun of him.

Damen didn’t care. He was on cloud nine. It seemed he had not only made his peace with Auguste but with Laurent too and hopefully, that meant they would be able to talk without that painful past between them.


	5. Chapter 5

Damen glanced at the imposing clock on the wall then sighed as he spun on the ice lazily. It was getting late, there was no point in waiting any longer. Laurent obviously wasn’t coming to the rink. He had probably come early to train since his uncle had insisted that the first hours of the rink would be saved for his skater, thus preventing any future possible overlapping in bookings. Damen sighed heavily, zigzagging on the ice to the sound of the music in his mind.

He had only seen Laurent once since the open skate at the rink. They had not discussed Auguste yet, a silent agreement between them, but Laurent had been softer, more open and relaxed. The unexpected meeting seemed to have soothed the resentment he had initially held against him. Instead, there had been a playfully flirtatious vibe between them as they spoke, teasing each other, but then his uncle had arrived. In a few clipped words, he had interrupted them to remind Laurent that his next competition was coming up and that he had a lot of training to do to make up for his poor performance. That had been the end of their moment. Laurent had withdrawn into himself and followed him while Damen had focused on his breathing pattern to keep himself from punching the old man.

After that, Laurent’s uncle had never given them any time to chat, always interrupting before they could even start up a conversation. Apparently, it would be taking too much time from his student’s _very busy_ schedule. Which was probably true but that didn’t make him miss Laurent any less and Damen would bet his life that Laurent needed a break.

Not to mention that Auguste himself had texted him to complain about his brother being tired and irritable. Damen wasn’t sure how they had come to talk about Laurent but he was glad for it because Auguste was giving him good advice on how to deal with his little brother. It was slightly suspicious but Damen certainly wouldn’t complain if Auguste was alright with them, though a part of him was offended that he had been so obvious with his feelings.

Sighing softly, Damen found his thoughts once again going back to Laurent’s new programs. He loved them. He had watched them as soon as he had come home from the open day at the rink and it had stolen his breath away. Sure, Laurent still needed to perfect them and they lacked _something_ but they were undeniably beautiful. Almost as beautiful as Laurent himself.

Closing his eyes with a stupid smile, Damen tried to follow one of the routines he had spent the past weeks watching. It was difficult to manoeuvre with his hockey blades but he could somewhat imitate the blond man. Save for the jumps, those were a complete mystery to him. How could Laurent spin four times in the air? He could barely manage one turn. With absolutely none of the natural grace that directed Laurent’s moves.

He opened his eyes to gather some speed and try a simple jump. He victoriously raised his arms after he had managed to land it and got ready for a second try when a familiar voice called his name in surprise, making him trip and fall hard on the ice with a curse.

“Damen- Oh shit, I’m sorry!” Laurent dropped next to him, looking very worried as he touched his face carefully, obviously looking for head injuries, but then he saw the grin on Damen’s face and slapped his chest with a huff. “You big oaf. Stop smiling! I thought you might have broken your neck, did you suddenly forget you have _hockey_ skates?”

Damen laughed cheerfully, his heart beating faster because Laurent had fussed over him adorably. “Aw, you were worried! That’s so sweet.”

“Shut up.”

Damen’s grin only widened in reply as he watched Laurent get up and glide away from him, a small smile on his beautiful face. His long hair was in a pretty braid today, tied with a blue ribbon. It made him look even more beautiful and precious, although he would never say that last thing out loud. Laurent would probably have his skin if he did. Still smiling to himself, Damen got up and quickly caught up with Laurent, noticing his stiff back worriedly.

“Relax, Laurent. You’ll mess up your jumps if you’re tense.”

“Oh sorry, are you an expert on figure skating jumps? You can barely lift yourself off the ice, which really isn’t surprising, considering it must be like trying to lift a mountain off the ground.”

Damen let the stingy remarks slide over him with a chuckle and he moved in front of Laurent, skating backwards to be able to watch him. He held out his hands for him. “Come on, warm up with me then I’ll leave you alone.” He glanced at the side of the rink as he suddenly remembered the existence of his cold uncle but to his surprise, there was no one standing there. “You’re here alone?”

Laurent stiffened further, his eyes turning cold. “Yes. I need to practice more so I came on my own.” Damen scowled and opened his mouth to tell him just how he felt about his uncle but before he could, Laurent suddenly went on a rant, taking him by surprise. “And guess what? My car’s broken so I had to take the bus to get here and it arrived _late_ and then I realised I was in the wrong bus so I had to change and the _other_ one was late too. Then it started half-snowing, half-raining and there was no fucking shelter because the bus stop was only a _sign_ on the side of the road. Seriously! This town is poorly equipped in public transportation. And I’m not even talking about persons with disabilities, it used to take my brother _ages_ to get around town and he was only in a wheelchair for a couple of months. Anyway, I lost at least an hour which means I’ll come home late because apparently, I’m not taking my training seriously enough despite training every day and taking ballet class every other day.”

At some point during his rant, Laurent had distractedly taken one of his offered hand. Damen smiled as his heart missed a few beats, stupidly happy, and chose to focus on that instead of his intense urge to go find Laurent’s coach to punch him. He wished they had met for reasons other than Laurent feeling like he _had_ to train again when it was so late but at least it was a good opportunity to spend some time with him and get to know him better. Although for now, Damen would avoid any personal discussion. The most important thing right now was to help Laurent relax because he would achieve nothing but a sprained ankle, if not worse, if he skated in this state.

Since Laurent seemed to like their friendly banter, Damen decided to diffuse the tension by teasing him about public transportations instead of mentioning his coach again. Laurent’s anger was most likely targeted at the latter rather than at the former but hopefully, bitching about public transports would help him calm down. No matter how much he agreed with Laurent, Damen knew they needed to deflect his anger so as to avoid Laurent getting worked up and hurting himself.

“You poor thing, having to take public transportation like the rest of us commoners. Are you suffering, do you feel feverish? Should I bring smelling salts for your faint heart?” Damen asked overdramatically though he delicately touched his face, as if searching for fever. Laurent rolled his eyes, his cheeks red, but he hadn’t moved away despite the contact and there was a hint of a smile on his lips.

“Oh shush, I’m not being snob. I’m just annoyed that public transports to get here are so shitty and slow and overall inefficient,” Laurent replied with an expression now close to a pout on his face.

“My poor darling. Life is so difficult.” Smiling, Damen softened, “I can drive you home if you want.”

Laurent flustered and he averted his eyes. “I didn’t say that so that you would offer to take me home, you know. I can go just fine on my own.”

“You probably can but it would be much faster with my car and I don’t like the thought of you going home by yourself.” He countered, pulling Laurent a little closer to give him a pleading look. “Please?”

Laurent bit his lower lip, pondering, then he finally huffed, apparently trying to regain some composure. “Fine. Now go away. I came here to train.”

Chuckling, Damen let go of his hand to bow at him with a wink. “Alright, Your Highness. I apologise for taking up your time.” That actually got him a glare but he noticed the smile tugging at the young man’s lips and he winked at him. He paused to cover his blades once he was off the rink, which was when he noticed the stereo. “Laurent, do you want me to turn on the music?”

Laurent was skating in circles, rolling his shoulders back to relax, but he stopped to look at him in surprise. “Are you going to stay?”

Damen raised his eyebrows at him, the answer obvious to him. “Are you kidding? Of course I want to stay, I want to see your program with my own eyes, it’s beautiful!” He said enthusiastically before adding sheepishly, “I mean, I can go if you want but I’d love to stay.”

Laurent seemed at loss for words for a moment then he pushed a strand of blond hair behind his ear and nodded, a lovely smile on his face. “Alright then… I’ll cue you for the music.”

Smiling, Damen moved to the stereo and looked up at him. “Ready?”

Laurent circled the centre of the rink a few times then he nodded at him as he got into position. Damen started the music and leaned on the railing with his head resting on his hands, absolutely in awe as he was every time he watched the young man skate his two programs. From what he had gathered on the Internet, Laurent’s theme for this year was longing, more specifically longing for Love.

A part of him couldn’t help but wonder if he was the one who Laurent was longing for because there was no way he was making it up. His whole body seemed to sing in rhythm to the music as he moved. It was like watching him telling a story. First, there was loneliness and hesitancy then it turned to tentative hope, careful glances and shy gestures until it bloomed into confidence and happiness. How could his coach, his _uncle,_ miss that? Actually, no. Damen straightened up, his heart beating faster. That performance was completely different to the videos online. Whatever emotions had been missing during his first competition were there, tangible and so obvious Damen longed to join Laurent on the ice to show him that he was not alone. Except it would be dangerous for Laurent and he obviously wanted to keep practising, so he sat down and watched in silent wonder.

*

Damen hadn’t realised an hour had gone by until Laurent tripped on a jump. Grabbing a bottle of water, he took the protection off his own skates and stepped back on the ice to meet him.

“Okay, time for a break.” He said as he stopped next to him and handed him the bottle, which he accepted though he was shaking his head.

“No, not yet. I’m good. It’s barely been thirty minutes.”

“It’s been nearly an hour.” Damen corrected, moving closer to him. “Take a break or I’m carrying you off the ice.”

Laurent paused to look up at him, obviously trying to decide how serious he was. Damen stared back at him, unwavering. The younger man must have realised he was dead serious because he relented with a beautiful eye roll. “Fine. But I’m blaming you if I don’t win gold this weekend.”

Damen scoffed, personally offended by that thought. “There’s no way you’re not getting gold this weekend, you’re the best skater out there and if you skate like you just did…” he trailed off, overwhelmed with emotions as he remembered the way Laurent had danced to his short program, telling a silent story to him. “It was absolutely beautiful. You’ll woo everyone, believe me. I loved it.”

Laurent was playing with the lid of his bottle, looking pleased but also uncharacteristically shy. “You did?”

“I do. I love it.” Damen replied sincerely as he gazed into his eyes, wishing he could replace the ‘it’ by ‘you’. That would have to wait though, they were only just starting to feel comfortable around each other. His discussion with Auguste had speed things up but he didn’t want to rush things. “But for that to happen, you need to take it easy.”

Laurent sighed but he didn’t counter him, instead taking a sip of water.

To untrained eyes, and obviously to his coach, Laurent would look unruffled by his performance but after so much time studying him, Damen knew what to look for. He could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his legs shook a little from the strain, or the redness creeping up his slender neck. Aside from those small details, he was breath-taking. Damen silently marvelled at his beauty and he followed the few strands of golden hair that had left his braid. They framed his flushed cheeks and blue eyes prettily, making him look like an angel from an old painting, almost ethereal.

Damen desperately wanted to reach out and brush the hair away from his eyes but he did not dare follow his impulse, even though he was pretty sure Laurent would allow his touch. Instead, he watched him carefully, taking in his light frown and the way he chewed on his lower lip, as if to keep himself from talking. Something was definitely on his mind. Damen opened his mouth to question him but quickly stopped himself. Laurent would come to him if he wanted to, there was no point in pressuring him.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” Laurent eventually said, bitter frustration clear in his tight voice. “I can’t land that stupid triple toe today. It’s usually not a problem but today I just _can’t_. I’m a senior and I can’t land a goddamn quad toe-loop.”

“I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Damen replied smoothly, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. “You landed it perfectly until a few minutes ago, didn’t you? It’s just stress.”

“I know it’s just stress, _Damianos_ , I’m fairly acquainted with the feeling but how can I train properly if I can’t land one of my jumps? _Fuck_.” Laurent’s free hand balled into a tight fist. “I have to land it. If I don’t, I won’t have enough points to win gold, I _have_ to land it. And I should probably add another jump to be honest, I don’t know what my uncle was thinking, only putting two quads in my program. I can do it, I’m not a baby, despite what he thinks.”

Damen opened his mouth then an idea crossed his mind. He took the bottle of water from him to put it on the barrier then he took Laurent’s hand, pulling him closer. “Alright, skate with me. You need to relax or you’ll hurt yourself. And you can vent about your coach- I mean your uncle while we go around the rink. I’ve never liked the guy anyway so just go ahead and give me more reasons to dislike him.”

Surprisingly enough, Laurent did not even try to defend his uncle. He had a moment of hesitation, but soon he was telling him everything. It took a few lapses around the rink for him to calm down, most of them spent with him bitching about his uncle underestimating him and Damen agreeing all-heartedly to make him laugh. Once he looked calm and collected again, Damen beamed at him and reluctantly let go of his hand.

“Now, how about you show me your program again, _slowly_ so I can try to follow you?”

Laurent paused then raised an eyebrow at him, looking confident and amused as he circled around him gracefully. “You want to sake to my program? You? The big, bulky hockey player?”

“Why not? It doesn’t look that hard.” He replied with a teasing smile before swirling, an arm raised above his head to imitate Laurent’s much more graceful move. “See?”

“That was terrible.” Laurent nearly giggled, making his heart melt. “Alright then, watch and follow.” He agreed, skating back into position in the middle of the rink, then shot him a smirk over his shoulder. “Or rather, try to.”

Going over the short program was easy since Damen practically knew it by heart after so many viewing. He couldn’t do any of the jumps, but he tried hard to keep up and Laurent got this small, adorable smile whenever he would catch him trying to imitate his moves. Soon, Laurent was nailing his jumps easily again. He smiled to himself at the end of the program, looking pleasantly surprised, then moved onto his free program and Damen slid to the side of the rink to give him room.

Laurent struggled more this time. Exhaustion was clearly taking its toll on his body and he started to get frustrated again. Which really was not a surprise considering how late it was. Damen skated up to him before he could hurt himself and stopped him. He had a plan in mind but he would have to follow it very carefully, the last thing he wanted was to scare Laurent and involuntarily hurt him. Carefully, he moved to skate a little behind him on his left and placed his hands on his hip. Laurent looked up at him sharply, bright red and confused.

“Short break.” Damen explained with a smile. “You’re getting frustrated again and you’re gonna hurt yourself if you don’t take a break. Follow me.”

“Now _that_ won’t be difficult.” Even caught off guard, the silver tongue was ready to strike back.

Damen rolled his eyes with a smile and leaned down to get to his eye level. God. He was so _small_. “Laurent. Just shut up and follow me for once.”

“Are you planning on letting go of my hips?”

“Yes. But you’re following me, remember? Like a… like a waltz yeah, just follow my lead.”

“ _You_ know how to waltz? And what if you fall and crush me on the ice?”

“Laurent.”

The young man bit back whatever snarky reply he had. There was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes then he carefully placed his hand on his shoulder and nodded, silently giving him permission to lead him on the ice. Skating in this position was a bit awkward, even more so with their height difference, but they somehow managed to make it work, mostly because Laurent seemed to trust him more than he would have expected.

After a few minutes, Damen let go of Laurent’s hips to take his hands instead and he started skating to a program he knew very well since he had not stopped watching it ever since he had first found it on the night he had discovered Laurent was a figure skater. Laurent was confused by the sudden change of footwork and he stared at him, obviously trying to get a clue as to what he was doing, then he looked up in surprise when he realised Damen was skating to one of his old programs. Damen flushed, a little embarrassed and shy all of a sudden, but he barrelled on.

“You can point out my mistakes after.” He mumbled halfway through and Laurent actually smiled. A proper, beautiful smile that stole his breath away.

“Better not, we’d be here all night and I’d need to drink something.”

“I wouldn’t mind, I’d be very happy to invite you for another ‘most expensive cocktail on the menu’.” Damen replied softly as they came to a stop.

Laurent was looking up at him with wide eyes, evidently speechless, then he looked away and Damen grinned. So, that’s what it took to shut him up: soft words and gentle smiles. He put a hand under his chin to gently raise his head so that their eyes could meet again. Laurent sucked in a breath but complied, placing a hand on his chest as he leant up, his usually teasing eyes now filled with another emotion that made butterfly flutter in Damen’s stomach. God, he was gorgeous. But before any of them could do or say anything, a loud voice suddenly rang throughout the rink, making them jump out of their skin.

“I swear to god, Damen, it’s almost midnight, get the fuck out of the rink, it’s too late for-“ The voice came to a stop and Damen was shoved back, Laurent now standing a few meters from him, his back to him, a heavy blush creeping down his neck. Damn Nikandros and his bad timing.

“Hey Nik!” He spun around to beam at his friend. “Sorry, didn’t see the time! We’ll get out of your hair ASAP.”

His best friend was frozen in place at the top of the stairs, keys in hand, staring at them in despair. He had undoubtedly witnessed the almost-kiss. He could already hear his lecture. Damen glanced at Laurent, who was skating back to the tier, then sent his friend a pleading look. Nikandros stared back at him, hard and judgmental, then threw his hands up in the air as he turned around, the keys ringing in his hands.

“You have ten minutes to change and get out, then I swear to god I’m locking you in, I don’t give a fuck.”

“Thanks Nik! You’re the best!” He shouted back at his friend’s retreating back before spinning on the ice to catch up with Laurent.

The man was fast. He had already taken off his skates and was putting his shoes on. Damen settled next to him on the bench and bent down to take his blades off, carefully covering them before grabbing his shoes.

“We don’t have to run, you know? He’s not really gonna lock us in.”

“I know but I hadn’t realised it was already so late. God, Auguste must be worried sick.”

“Ah yeah, well, I’m driving you home, remember?” He asked as he stood up and shouldered his bag. “We can tell him that I monopolised the ice.”

“Auguste would never believe that, he knows you would give me the rink the second I got here.” Laurent replied with a smirk as he followed him outside the building.

Damen flushed and harrumphed as he pushed the door open for him. “Right well, just tell him we lost track of time. He’s probably used to you doing that. Tell him I fell to your charms and forgot to tell you to stop too, it’s not too far from the truth.” Damen added with a flirtatious smile as he unlocked the car for them.

This time, it was Laurent’s turn to blushed as he hastily got inside the car. “Shut up. You’re being ridiculous.”

Damen opened his mouth to tease him more but he was interrupted when Laurent received a call from his brother. They both winced when the man immediately started yelling, obviously upset that his brother was still out past midnight and Damen wisely stayed silent while a surprisingly sheepish Laurent spent most of the drive talking to his brother in Veretian. Much to his surprise, Auguste calmed down when Laurent announced that _Damen_ had been with him the whole time and that _Damen_ was driving him home.

By the time they reached Laurent’s mansion, Auguste was waiting for them outside on the porch, his arms crossed over his chest.

Stepping out of the car, Damen followed Laurent to the front door and nodded at the other man with a sheepish smile. “Hey Auguste, sorry, we hadn’t realised how late it was. We’ll be more careful next time.”

Auguste huffed, taking Laurent’s bag, but then relaxed and shook his head. “It’s okay. I panicked a little when I couldn’t reach him but I should have known Laurent would be at the rink. Thank you for bringing him home safely, Damen. I hope you don’t live too far away.”

“It doesn’t matter. I had to make sure Laurent would get home safely.” He replied with a soft smile at the younger man.

Auguste hummed as he looked between them then rolled his eyes. “Alright. Well, I’ll let you two say good night, don’t take too long please Laurent, you’re supposed to be in bed already. Uncle would have an ulcer if he knew you were out so late a few days before your competition.”

“Yeah, well, he was the one to suggest more practice,” Laurent replied lightly though there was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Auguste and Damen exchanged a look then Auguste disappeared inside the house, leaving them alone. Laurent was the first to break the silence.

“Thank you. For tonight, for driving me home and… and for ignoring my bitchy attitude when we first met. I was determined to hate you but obviously, I was wrong about you.” He said without flinching, his blue eyes staring into his.

Damen felt his breath catch in his throat, taken aback, then he smiled at him. “I’m glad I did. You’re amazing, don’t let your uncle make you forget that.” He said softly as he gave in and tucked a strand of golden hair behind his ear. “Good night, Laurent. See you tomorrow.”

It was not the first time Laurent was smiling at him so softly but it had never felt this intimate before. Dropping his hand, Damen tried to come up with one last thing to say before leaving when Laurent took him by surprise, once again. He put a pale hand on his chest then leant up on his tiptoes to place a delicate kiss on the corner of his lips, making his heart miss a couple of beat at least.

Before Damen could react, Laurent had retreated to the door with a smile. “See you tomorrow, Damen. We could have that drink you mentioned earlier.”

And just like that, he was gone, leaving Damen a mess of feelings on his porch. He blinked at the closed door as he raised a hand to his cheek, feeling like he had come out of a dream, except that it had been very real. He could still feel the press of Laurent’s lips on the corner of his mouth, the feeling of his cold hand on his chest. Laurent had _kissed him_. That had to be the best day of his life.

Grinning, Damen punched the air victoriously before going back to his car to go home. And if Nikandros noticed his hopelessly lovestruck expression when he came home, he didn’t say anything this time, only rolling his eyes once before Damen told him _everything_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked this chapter ;)


	6. Chapter 6

Damen yawned as he ran his hands down his face, feeling exhausted despite having done nothing particularly straining all day. Well, no, that wasn’t true. He had spent the whole day studying. Nikandros was sitting across from him, bent over a book and furiously taking notes. Damen glanced down at his own notes then shook his head and pulled out his phone. He needed a break. They had come to the library in the first hours of the morning to get the quietest tables to study for finals, and it was nearly the end of the afternoon.

A smile appeared on his face when he saw a few texts from Laurent and he made himself more comfortable as he read his long updates, entirely missing the amused if slightly exasperated look Nikandros gave him. Laurent and him had exchanged numbers, so that they could keep in touch despite their tight schedules. He was off the ice because of his finals and Laurent still had one major competition before a short break so dating had been difficult over the past weeks.

Because they were officially _dating_ now, Damen reminded himself for the hundredth time with a grin.

The day following The Almost Kiss, he had waited at the rink to invite Laurent to the bar just like he had suggested. It had been a little awkward at first but to his greatest delight, Laurent hadn’t lost any of his sharpness despite the subtle shift in their relationship and it had been easy to talk once their order had arrived. Laurent had teased him relentlessly for his cheesiness but after so much time studying him, Damen was becoming fluent in Laurent. He had seen his pleased smiles and flushed cheeks when he recounted trying to learn his routines partly to impress him and falling on his butt many times. He had noticed the way his blue eyes had widened with surprise then lit up when he had also admitted waiting for hours at the rink just to see him.

Most importantly, he had noticed how his whole body had relaxed and his face had brightened up after his passionate explanation of why he was so in love with his routine. It took a text from Auguste to remind them of the time and Damen had driven Laurent home, earning a proper goodbye kiss from him this time. But then the uncle had basically forbidden Laurent from seeing anyone (akaDamen), arguing that he should focus on his upcoming competitions. They had both agreed but he seriously missed Laurent although texting turned out to be a great way to get to know him and his dry sense of humour was not lost in translation. Damen also took pride in the fact that he was the first Laurent texted after his training, much to Auguste’s dismay.

His smile soon faded away as he read his texts though.

Apparently, his uncle was fully taking advantage of the hockey team’s exam break to have Laurent train longer hours. He frowned lightly as Laurent admitted being tired, which knowing him meant he was _exhausted_ , and not for the first time, he dreamt of punching his uncle. Laurent was doing great in competition, often coming third or second, but that obviously wasn’t enough for his uncle. Nor for Laurent but Damen had a sneaking impression that he was skating for his uncle’s approval more than for himself. He had watched every single one of his competition and though he had improved a lot, there was none of the emotion he had shown when he had skated only for him. Which was not a surprise, considering the way his uncle treated him.

He really had to talk to him about changing coach, Damen thought unhappily as his thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Last time, it had resulted in an angry dispute but that would not deter him. Laurent needed someone who would challenge _and_ support him. His uncle was challenging enough for sure but he barely, if ever, complimented Laurent on his work. It drove him mad. He had tried to ask Auguste about his previous coach and why he was still with his uncle when he could have anybody else but Auguste had only told him to ask Laurent, which had resulted in Laurent ignoring him for a day.

Damen glanced at the clock on the wall then grabbed his coat and stood up, gesturing at Nikandros that he would be quick. His friend furrowed his brows, looking slightly concerned, but relaxed after seeing him mouth Laurent’s name. He rolled his eyes at him then made a shoo motion, an amused if slightly exasperated smile on his face. Damen smiled warmly as he rushed to the coffee machine, mentally bracing himself to face the snow and cold wind. Despite his initial dislike of Laurent, Nikandros was slowly warming up to him and bickering with him seemed to have become his favourite pastime.

Glancing at his watch, Damen winced and hurried to finish buttoning up his coat then headed outside. He only had a tight window before Laurent started practice, it should be enough to chat before his uncle would snap at him for wasting his time. Staying close to the entrance of the library, he called Laurent and smiled when he picked up after only the second ring.

_“Damen? Is everything ok? Aren’t you supposed to be studying for your last exam?”_

His smile softened when he heard the worry in Laurent’s voice. “Hello Laurent, don't worry, I am at the library and studying but I missed the sound of your voice, so I thought I’d call. How are you?” There was a laugh at the other end of the line, making his heart flutter with joy because he had made Laurent _laugh_.

_“You’re such a sap.”_

“Shush, you love it. I can hear you smile.”

Laurent hummed vaguely, obviously unwilling to give him any more ammunition. Damen beamed, leaning back against the cold wall before hissing at a cold gust of wind.

_“What’s wrong? Wait, are you outside??”_

“Yeah. Outside the library and let me tell you, it is _freezing_.” He replied with a shaky laugh, damning himself for forgetting his scarf inside. “I wouldn’t be surprised if the pond behind my flat was frozen. It probably is. We should go there some time, it’s really pretty when there’s snow.”

“ _Don’t you dare get sick. I want to see you before my competition, I miss you._ ” There was a pause during which Laurent probably blushed and mentally cursed himself for being so romantic, followed by a sigh. _“And I would love to go there. Although right now, I wish I didn’t have to see ice ever again in my life.”_

Damen vividly imagined himself punching Laurent’s uncle. It would be a major blow to his career but at least Laurent would be rid of his uncle for a while. He could easily send the man to a hospital and he certainly wouldn’t mind punching him. He must have said that last part out loud because Laurent interrupted him sharply.

_“You’re not punching anyone_. _You’re back in the team and doing very good. I’m fine. I just need to practice more.”_

“No, he needs to let you breathe. You’ll hurt yourself-”

_“Damen, I can’t have this argument again right now.”_ His voice was tight, not angry but exhausted so he shut up, even though there was much he wanted to say.

“Fine.” He replied shortly, his voice holding promises of a future lecture.

_“Thank you.”_ A voice called out his name from far away and Laurent muttered a curse under his breath. “ _I have to go. Break a leg, let me know how your exam went_.”

Damen huffed but nodded. “I will. Remember to take a break, you’re useless if you get injured.” That would sting but it was probably the only thing he could say that would make Laurent be careful. He could easily picture him rolling his eyes at him too but at least there was a smile in his voice when he said goodbye.

Glancing at his cold, untouched coffee Damen sighed deeply. Only one more to exam to nail and he would be able to see Laurent. He could definitely do it.

*

Damen had definitely _not_ nailed the exam. And neither had Nikandros.

“Oh my god, I want to sleep until next year and pretend this exam never happened.” Nikandros groaned as he wrapped his scarf around his neck, scowling at the snow surrounding them as if it would melt it. “What the fuck was question 2? I swear we never studied that.”

“Oh Gods, please let’s not talk about this. I don’t ever want to remember that exam. I don’t ever want to go back to the library either. _Ever_.” Damen replied with an exaggerated grimace, carefully going down the frozen stairs.

“I feel you. I was seriously considering moving in,” Nikandros agreed with a haunted expression then brightened up. “Anyway, drinks tonight?”

“Sure,” he nodded, getting into the car and quickly turning on the heater. “I’ll meet you guys later though. I’m going to the rink right after I drop you off.”

“Ah? Is he even allowed to see you?” Nikandros asked doubtfully while also enjoying the warmth coming from the heater and his seat as he signed happily. “Oh fuck yes. Forget the library I’m moving into your car. Did you know my heater nearly caught on fire the other day? I really should get a new car.”

“I’ve been telling you that for years now. It’s a wonder you can still drive it,” Damen said as he turned on the driveway. “And I don’t care what his uncle says. I’m seeing Laurent whether he likes it or not.”

“Please don’t punch his uncle.” Nikandros pleaded distractedly as he pressed his hands on the heater.

“Why does everyone think I’m going to punch his uncle?!”

“Are you seriously asking me that?” Nikandros gave him a pointed stare of disbelief, “I had to physically _wrestle you_ to keep you from marching to the rink to punch him the other day when Laurent mentioned a bruise.”

Damen felt himself flush but he scoffed, frowning at the road in front of them. “Well, he’s a jerk. He’d deserve it. He pushes Laurent too hard and he’s going to break him.”

“I don’t think anything can break him, he’s a tough little thing.” Nikandros replied seriously before adding more loudly before Damen could protest. “And I’m not saying the uncle’s not a jerk, he’s an ass and Laurent deserves better, I know that, but you’re no good to either Laurent or the team in prison. His uncle seems to be the kind of jerk to drag you to court and you have money.”

Damen couldn’t exactly argue with that so he stubbornly glared at the road in front of him instead. Nikandros was right of course. He couldn’t punch Laurent’s uncle. But he could have the satisfaction of seeing his unhappy expression at his unannounced arrival. That brought a smug smile back on his face which quickly softened as he easily pictured Laurent looking please to see him. Inviting him for a night out was pointless considering he had a competition in a couple of days but maybe he could find a way to take him out for a cup of coffee. Laurent needed some distraction. Training was a thing but down times were essentials and he needed to remember that he loved skating.

He was brutally pulled out of his thoughts when Nikandros reminded him of his existence by clearing his throat pointedly. Cursing himself, he sheepishly drove back to drop him off at their flat, which he had completely bypassed.

“Sorry, Nik. I was lost in my thoughts.”

“Yeah, yeah. Go see your boyfriend and I’ll see you tonight, don’t forget the beer! I’m locking you out if you do.” Nikandros winced at the cold wind as he stepped out of the car then bent down with a smile. “Say ‘hi’ to Laurent. Tell him I can’t wait to hear him tear his competition to shreds next time I see him.”

Damen beamed back at him, happy that despite all his ranting and teasing, Nikandros was starting to warm up to Laurent. “I will. See you later!”

Nikandros waved before closing the door to rush back to their flat while Damen drove off to the rink. A quick look at the time told him that he would be arriving just on time for the end of Laurent’s training. His uncle would undoubtedly be unhappy to see him but he wouldn’t be able to argue that Damen had to let Laurent train in peace.

Miraculously finding a spot right next to the entrance, Damen hurried out of his car and into the building. It wasn’t much warmer inside the building considering there was an ice rink in the middle of it but at least the corridors were warm and there was no snow or wind. Damen stopped by his locker, hesitant to take his blades, then shook his head. Laurent had skated enough for today. He would take him out for a tea in that fancy coffee bar he knew Laurent liked. Their booth might even be empty since half of the student population had gone home for the holidays.

Damen entered the arena with a smile, only to pause when he heard a very familiar music playing. His lips twitched, stretching into a thin, angry line as his body tensed. Laurent should have been coming out of the changing room by now but he should have expected the uncle to push him harder a few days prior to a competition. Never mind that Laurent should be saving his energy or trying to take his mind off the pressure of the competition.

“Your back and shoulders are too stiff and your foot should be higher. Again.” The uncle’s unforgiving voice cracked like a whip over the music.

Damen curled his right hand into a fist and he had to take a few deep breaths before he walked to the barrier to watch Laurent skate. That was ridiculous. The younger man was obviously exhausted, his face was red and sweaty, his golden hair sticking to his face and neck. It was also rather obvious that he was not enjoying himself at all, this was torture for him. And yet, he got back in position without protest, although his movement were slower and heavier than usual.

Laurent was not even halfway through his program when he over-rotated on a jump and lost his footing, falling hard on his hip, his hands thankfully taking the blunt of the fall. He winced as he glanced at his gloves but he quickly stood up, holding onto the barrier as he gently touched his bruising hip through his clothes.

“Are you ok?” His uncle asked, looked entirely unconcerned by the fall, which only made Damen hate him more. He waited for a nod from Laurent then turned off the music, his lips curled downwards. “Off the ice, you’re obviously too tired to keep going. We’ll come early tomorrow,” he said as he turned to pack up.

Laurent scowled at his uncle’s back, slowly making his way back to him. Then his eyes fell on Damen, who had moved closer to the exit, and it was like the sun had come out from behind the cloud. His face brightened up as a soft smile replaced his scowl and he sped up a little. “What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to sleep after your last exam.”

Damen smiled as he handed him his blade protections, offering him a hand to support him. “I did but then I thought I could also surprise you and get a beautiful smile. I missed you.” He whispered against his lips as he stole a kiss from him.

Laurent smiled into the kiss and squeezed his hand then moved to sit on the bench, his movement less graceful than usual because of his fall. Damen sat next him, quite obviously shielding him from his uncle, and silently handed him his towel. From the corner of his eyes, he saw the uncle stare at them so he smiled at him broadly, silently enjoying his small victory while the man walked away with his phone in hand.

“So, do you want to talk about your exams or is that a no-no?” Laurent asked, laughing softly at the horrified look Damen gave him. “Alright, no mention of exams. What’s your plan now that you’re done then?”

“Sleep. A lot. But right now, I’d like to take you to that coffee shop you'd like.” He saw him tense and quickly explained himself before he could decline his offer, “I know your competition is in a few days but it would only be for a couple of hours and I’ll drive you home. You need to relax a little too, it’s an important part of competition.”

Laurent looked away and freed his hair, giving himself a moment to think as he ran his fingers through it to untangle it. Knowing him, he was probably weighing the pros and cons of accepting, as well as mentally reorganising his schedule around him. Then his eyes took a determined shine and Damen smiled before he even nodded, already knowing his answer.

“Let me get changed first then we can go.”

“Go where?” They both startled, surprised to find the uncle in front of them. “You can’t possibly be thinking of going out tonight, Laurent.”

He hadn’t heard him approach, though it wasn’t a surprise considering he had been mesmerised by Laurent’s golden hair. He frowned at the man, a sharp reply on his lips, but Laurent replied smoothly before he could utter a word. Which was probably for the best.

“I’m not going out tonight, it would only be for a couple of hours and I’d come back in time for dinner.” He said as he stood up, wincing faintly.

“Ah. I wish you would have told me sooner, you have an appointment with Paschal in half an hour.”

Laurent blinked, taken aback. “Since when?”

“Oh, did I forget to tell you about it?” The uncle smiled faintly. “Sorry. I called him to make sure you would be in the best shape possible for the competition.”

Damen would bet on everything he loved that he had organised the appointment just a few minutes ago to keep them from spending time together. Considering how he treated Laurent during his training, he wouldn’t be surprised that he would try to take away anything that would make him feel happy.

“Surely it can wait until tomorrow, Paschal won’t mind if we make last minute change.” Laurent insisted as he silently took Damen’s hand and squeezed it. He hadn’t even realised he had stood up as well.

“That wouldn’t be fair on him and considering you fell a few times today, you really should see him.” He pointed out, sounding like the concerned parent he wasn’t. “You can see your boyfriend another day after the competition. I’ll wait for you outside.”

Damen glowered at his retreating back then turned to Laurent, who was trying and failing to look unaffected. Without a word, he pulled him to his chest and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “It’s alright. I’ll see you tomorrow, I’ll come to your practice,” he promised then added with a frown. “And as much as it costs me to admit it, he’s right about you needing to see your doctor. You took quite a fall today.”

Laurent sighed deeply but nodded when shifting his weight on his other foot caused him to wince. “Alright. Hopefully I can escape my uncle a little tomorrow.”

“He’s pushing you too hard.” Damen said with a frown.

Laurent stepped away to get his bag, putting on his warm blue coat. “He knows me better than anyone, he knows how far he can push. I can take it, I’ve just been a little tired lately.”

Damen barely held back, not wanting to have a fight when they only had a few minutes to spare, and instead sighed as he took his outstretched hand. “I know, I know. I just wished I could’ve spent time with you today.”

“I know, me too. But I’ll see you tomorrow.” Laurent replied determinedly as he laced their fingers together and headed outside.

Damen walked him to his uncle’s car, wishing they could at least walk slowly but the wind was freezing. They managed to kiss quickly before the uncle waved at Laurent, making him sigh and let his head fall against Damen’s forehead. Hugging him tightly, Damen kissed the tip of his cold nose then his forehead and his lips again before letting go.

“Text me to let me know how it went with Paschal. Or call, I’m available.”

“I will, drive safely and don’t let Pallas talk you into drinking shots.” Laurent advised with a smile before getting in the car, a frown on his face.

Damen watched him go then returned to his car, his hands shoved in his pockets as he tried not to feel too down. He would be able to spend more time with Laurent once his next competition would be over. It was just a matter of days. Then they would both have a week together before the hockey team's training would resume and Laurent would have a short time to recover from the competition as well. He just had to be a little patient. And at least, that had the benefit of giving him time to think of a romantic date, he thought with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nearly done! Only one more left tomorrow :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slight delay, but hopefully the ending will make it worth it :)

Damen wipe away the sweat on his brows with his sleeve then stepped back to admire his hard work. He had spent the day at the frozen pond behind his apartment building to make it perfect for his date with Laurent. He had put lights up for when the sun would set, cleaned the bench facing the pond and made sure the pond itself was frozen enough to skate. And since everyone had left for the holidays and the days were so cold, it should stay perfect for a romantic date skating in the open air. All he needed was to prepare a picnic and a bottle of champagne to celebrate Laurent’s first gold of the season.

Noticing the sun was setting, Damen glanced at his watch and smiled brightly. Laurent would be back from his competition soon and even though he had little hope of seeing him, he hoped he would get a phone call from him. They’d had very little interaction during his competition because Laurent usually turned his phone off to avoid distraction and Damen was dying to tell him how proud he was. And to compliment him again on his skating, he had been absolutely breath-taking.

Taking one last look around him to make sure everything was perfect, Damen made his way back to his flat where Nikandros was still where he had left him, chilling on the couch and reading a book from his favourite author.

“So, is it perfect for your date yet?” Nikandros asked, putting his glasses and book down to watch him prepare them some coffee.

Damen nodded with a grin as he handed him a mug then sat down on the armchair across from him. “Honestly, it’s beautiful. I tried to take a picture but it doesn’t reflect just how welcoming and beautiful it is.” He said as he showed him the pictures then beamed. “I can’t wait to show it to Laurent.”

Nikandros chuckled, sitting up to drink his coffee with a happy sigh. “Oh, I needed that. Tell him congrats for the gold from me. I watched the program and it was great, he deserves it. He’s still not getting the rink all for himself though.”

“I’ll let you two fight for it, I’m just happy to have him back.” Damen laughed as he checked his phone absent-mindedly then grinned. “Did you see that Laurent mentioned me in his interview

Nikandros laughed at his smug expression and downed his coffee before pointing at the TV. “Wanna watch a movie or is he calling you soon?”

Damen checked his phone again then shook his head. “We can start, he shouldn’t be home before at least another hour and he’ll probably talk with Auguste, if he doesn’t collapse on his bed first.”

“I bet, he must be exhausted. How far away was this competition again?” Nikandros asked, selecting the movie Damen was pointing too.

“Six hours away on the plane.” He moved to sit on the couch next to him. “He’s going to be shattered. I honestly wouldn’t mind if he went straight to bed and called me only in the morning.”

Nikandros winced then groaned as he let his head fall back against the couch. “That reminds me that our next game will be in Patras’ university. _Patras_. That’s basically the other end of the world.”

Damen winced too as he pulled a warm cover on top of him to warm up. Laurent would be shocked to see him under the cover when he was usually his personal heater. “Ugh, don’t remind me. I’m trying not to think about it.”

Halfway through the movie, Damen got a text from Laurent. Like he had expected, he would spend the evening with his brother then go straight to bed to sleep off the jet lag. He smiled when he asked him if they could meet the next day, immediately thinking of his perfect spot at the pond, and enthusiastically confirmed that he would pick him up for lunch. That earned him a few heart emojis so he was happy to relax with Nik on the couch for the rest of the evening.

*

They had ended up watching two more movies before going to bed so Damen grunted when his alarm clock went off in the morning, blindly reaching for his phone to turn it off. Then he remembered he was spending the day with Laurent and he brightened up, immediately leaving his bed to take a shower. He had some time before they met since it was barely ten but he had to cook their lunch, which included a cake since he had discovered Laurent had a sweet tooth.

By the time Nikandros emerged from his bedroom, Damen had packed away his lunch and was cleaning the kitchen.

“Did a storm hit our kitchen?” Nikandros asked as he manoeuvred around him to make himself a cup of coffee. While it brewed, he moved to inspect the food and inhaled with an appreciative hum. “What did you make? It smells great.”

“Hands off, that’s for Laurent and me.” Damen waved a sponge at him menacingly then pointed at the fridge. “Yours is in the fridge.”

“I love you!” Nikandros replied enthusiastically as he checked the fridge then took his cup of coffee and sat on the couch. “If he ever dumps you I call dibs.”

Damen laughed, checking everything was clean before he went to put on his coat. “Even if I end up marrying Laurent, I’ll make sure you are invited for dinner every week.”

“You better.” Nikandros replied, watching him pack. “Got everything?”

“Yep,” Damen nodded as he went over everything in his head: he had his skates, the food was ready, he had a bottle of champagne and covers in his trunk. “Alright, see you later. We might come back here if it’s too cold.”

Nikandros raised his mug in way of answering, already turning back to his book.

Laurent had told him he had some business in town so Damen didn’t have to worry about pick him up, which gave him some time to check that the snow that had fallen during the night had not ruined his little spot by the pond. As he had expected, everything was covered in snow but it was easy to clean considering the snow was still fresh. He was nearly done when he heard steps behind him. Grinning, he turned around to greet Laurent but froze when he saw him.

Laurent was standing there in his blue coat, looking as beautiful and ethereal as ever, but he couldn’t say anything. He was also very conscious of the fact that he was gaping but he couldn’t help himself.

“You… Your hair??”

Where Laurent usually had his beautiful golden mane curling down his shoulders, today he had short hair falling effortlessly to his ears.

“Ah, yes.” Laurent rose a hand to his head, touching his now very short blond hair hesitantly. . Do you not like it? I know you loved my long hair…”

Damen kept staring. He couldn’t remember Laurent ever complaining about his hair so seeing him with short hair with no warning was surprising to say the least. But he absolutely loved it. He would still love Laurent if he was bold, though he would miss running his fingers through his soft hair.

“Are you kidding, I love it!” He replied happily as he pulled him into a hug and pressed a kiss to his lips. “I mean, I _love_ your long hair too but I love this too. It suits you. Was that your business in town?

Laurent relaxed into his arms, nodding with a light smile. “Yes, I wanted some change.”

Damen took off a glove to touch his hair, amazed by how short it was. He was reminded of a friend telling him that people often cut their hair when they were going through big changes. He wondered if that was why Laurent had cut his beautiful hair.

“Has something happened? Is this your way of celebrating your gold?” He asked, letting go to guide him to the bench and smiled when Laurent gasped.

“Oh, this is beautiful! And I understand why you asked me to bring my skates now.” Laurent beamed as he moved to sit on the bench Damen had covered with a blanket. “And yes, this is my way of celebrating and I came to a decision I’m pretty sure will have you dancing on the spot.”

Damen curiously raised an eyebrow at him as he opened the bag containing their warm lunch. That earned him another smile, which widened when Laurent spotted his favourite cake near the bottom of the second bag, next to the bottle of champagne and two flutes.

“You spoil me too much.” Laurent took the bottle to inspect it. “Oh, this is a very good champagne. Thank you. And yes, I’ll explain myself. Give me a second,” he added with a chuckle when Damen made an impatient gesture. “So, yesterday when I came home Auguste took me out for dinner to celebrate. I had a long discussion with him because, well, I thought about what you told me. I do deserve a better coach. Or rather, one that doesn’t push me so hard I nearly get injured every training session.”

Damen paused with his hands around the bottle of champagne, too surprise to finish opening it. “You fired your uncle?”

“More or less.” Laurent made a vague gesture. “I told him I would change coach at the end of this season. I thanked him for everything he taught me, everything he did for me, etc., but I said I wanted to explore new horizons. He was… quite upset as you can imagine but he accepted my decision after a long discussion. So, once the season is over, I’ll be looking for a new coach.”

There was a pause then Damen cheered, nearly tackling him off the bench. “That’s a wonderful news, had I known I’d have bought two bottles of champagne! This is great!”

Laurent rolled his eyes with a smile. “You’d have thought I’d won gold at the Olympics considering your reaction.”

“Well, no offense but I really hate your uncle.”

“No way. I can’t believe it, and here I was thinking of inviting you for the family brunch on Sunday because you love him so much, I guess I’ll have to cancel,” he replied, deadpanned.

Damen huffed, pouting at him. “Oh, shut up. At least I never actually punched him.”

“Ah yes, I’m so very proud of you.” Laurent countered seriously until Damen pinched him, making him laugh. “Stop it! Anyway, I’ll have a new coach soon and that’s partly why I cut my hair. It’s like a new beginning.”

“That’s great, I’m happy for you. Do you already have people in mind?” Damen asked as he handed him a plate.

Laurent took a bite from the food before answering him, moaning around the fork with smile as he closed his eyes. “This is delicious. And yes, I actually contacted an old family friend already. His name is Charls, he was my mother’s coach before she teamed with my father and they had my uncle coach them.”

Damen raised his eyebrows, surprised to hear him talk about his parents. That had been a sore topic. All he knew was that they had died in a crash accident barely three years ago. “Your uncle trained your parents?” He asked tentatively.

Laurent fell silent as he contemplated the frozen pond for a moment, eating quietly, then he nodded. “Yes. He was my parents’ coach, he helped them win gold and break world records with his programs. I think he was -is- jealous of my father, that’s why he pushed me too hard. Long story short, my uncle has a mind for beautiful programs but he was never skilled enough to do them himself – that was my father – and he had a bad injury that kept him away from the rink,” he explained, raising a hand to push his hair behind his ear only to pause and smile because it was too short for that now. “So, he became a coach instead and teamed up with my parents. When they retired, he went on to train other skaters and my mom coached me while my father focused on Auguste. Then they died,” he paused to clear his throat, “my uncle was my designated guardian and he was the one who pushed me back on the ice. I owe him a lot for that. But you were right. I don’t need to subject myself to his temper and old grudge. I can find someone else. Auguste agrees that I should stay with my uncle until the end of the season because he _did_ help me create this program but after that I’ll probably have Charls. He’s got a couple other students and they are all quite good.”

Damen took a moment to process all those information, the uncle’s attitude making so much more sense all of a sudden. He finished eating his food then smiled, grabbing the forgotten bottle of champagne to open it. “Well, I’m happy for you. The champagne is now officially both for the gold and the future new coach!”

Laurent smiled, putting his plate aside to accept the flute Damen was handing to him. “Thank you. To more celebration in our future.”

Damen could only agree as he raised his flute to him.

*

*

*

Three years later, they had moved in together. Damen had not missed a single of Laurent’s competitions, either on TV or by actually coming, and Laurent tried to come to his games whenever he had time.

Damen was incredibly proud of him. He had watched him win gold after gold with his gorgeous programs, his new coach’s training obviously giving him wings. There was a new softness in his smile and in his eyes, especially whenever he looked at the camera and Damen’s heart fluttered every time because he knew those small, almost private smile were for him.

Damen had finished college with Honours and joined one of the country’s major teams with a few of his teammates. Laurent had become a top world champion. When they couldn’t spend time together because of their respective competitions, they would spend long hours on the phone, talking about pretty much nothing and everything, much to Auguste’s despair because he felt like Damen spent more time with his younger brother than he did, even though he was actually _with_ Laurent for all his competition.

And today, Damen had decided to surprise Laurent by coming to see him. Well, he had more than one surprise actually.

Only Auguste knew about it and he had enthusiastically helped him organise his arrival. Damen couldn’t wait to see the expression on Laurent’s face when he would see him. Damen had heard him sleepily mumble that he wished he would be here the previous night so he was not worried by his reaction.

Taking a deep breath, Damen stepped out of his cab and started walking towards the rink that welcomed the competition. As they had planned, Auguste was waiting for him outside to lead him through the crowd of photographs and security. Everyone knew about Laurent’s boyfriend. They greeted one another with a warm hug before Auguste guided him inside. Laurent was almost done rehearsing for this afternoon’s short program, giving Damen some time to actually see him and Laurent time to process his presence and calm down.

When Damen saw him, he had to pause and catch his breath. Laurent was even more gorgeous than he remembered and the blue and white outfit he wore for his short program truly was stunning. Even though he had seen it a thousand times now, he realised the camera really didn’t do it justice. God, he loved him.

He heard someone chuckle on his left then he was gently pushed forward by Auguste, snapping him out of his trance.

“Laurent! Take a break and come here, I have a surprise for you.” Auguste called out once they were against the barrier, catching his little brother’s attention.

Damen watched breathlessly as Laurent turned around with a confused expression that soon morphed into surprise then pure joy when he saw him. It was the first time Damen saw him display his emotions so openly in public and seeing him rush to get to him made him smile even more while his heart threatened to burst with joy.

“Hello, sweetheart. I heard you request my presence yesterday so thought I’d come and see you, like you asked.” He explained softly once the man was at arm’s length from him. “You are _stunning_. And God, you were incredible the other day! I can’t believe you beat your own record, _again_. Well no, I can believe it because I saw you, but this is amazing. You’re amazing! And did I mention you’re beautiful?”

Laurent blinked at the flood of compliments from him then he laughed and jumped to his neck. “I swear Damen, you’re the biggest sap in the world. Not that I complain but I’m blushing like a schoolgirl.”

Damen had wrapped his arms around Laurent the second he jumped to his neck and he smiled as he nuzzled his hair tenderly. “Aren’t you used to it by now? I compliment you every day on the phone… or is this why you rarely allow me to see your beautiful face? Because I make you blush all the time?” He was answered with a slap to the back of his head that made him laugh.

“I can’t believe you’re here. I had no idea you’d be here.” Laurent replied breathlessly, pressing their foreheads together as he looked into his eyes with a bright smile.

“That’s the point of a surprise, sweetheart.” Damen replied before he kissed him lovingly. “I wouldn’t have missed that for anything in the world. I know you will win.”

Laurent kissed him again then let go, stepping back on the ice. “For that, I need to train. I’ll talk to you after this. I can’t believe you’re here… I’ll be skating for you, don’t look away.” He told him with a smile as he skated backwards.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Damen promised. “I love you, see you later.” He waved at him before following Auguste to their seats, his heart beating fast. As he watched Laurent skate, he patted the pocket on his chest, checking that the little velvet box containing a set of golden rings was still there. Hopefully, they would have that to celebrate at the end of the weekend too.

He couldn’t wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And it is over!
> 
> Thanks to all those who read along and commented, you're the best! 
> 
> And once again, a big thank you to my Beta and my artist who were absolutely fantastic!!


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